Editor's Notebook: Patch Celebrates its 100th Site Launch

Today is a momentous day in Patch history. Those loyal readers of Madison Patch may remember that it was Nov. 25 of last year, the day before Thanksgiving, when this site went live.

It marked the first site in Morris County, 12th in New Jersey, and just the 17th nationwide. At that time, we were only in two states: the Garden State and Connecticut. That growth had come in 10 months, after the first three Patch sites (South Orange, Millburn and Maplewood) launched in February of 2009.

Today it's a vastly different quilt which Patch has sewn together. Aug. 17, 2010, will always be remembered as the day site No. 100, Morristown Patch, was launched. Which means, in the nine months since Madison Patch launched, Patch has grown by 83 sites!

Patch is also in nine states now, with the District of Columbia soon to follow. Madison has gone from being sibling-less in Morris County, to having three sister sites (next-door neighbor Chatham, Montville, and now Morristown).

These are all significant accomplishments, and I'm sure in another year we'll see another large step in the scope of Patch's presence across the country.

But it's also a good time to reflect on what we've been able to accomplish here in your town, Madison Borough, over the past 266 days.

We've seen the community continue to show that recreational space is important to it, from early concepts for the 49 acres, to the reopening of the fields at the junior school.

We've also seen the effects of changes in Trenton, as that same junior school sports program that was finally back on its home fields was eliminated after a second budget question to keep it was defeated, along with the overall school budget. We've seen borough departments such as the fire department take a wage freeze, as well as all of the school unions do the same. Both of those, you read about here first.

We also broke the news that Dr. Richard Noonan would be leaving the district to take the same position in Pennsylvania. We'll be continuing to follow the search for a permanent replacement as the months continue.

Most recently, we told you about a driver who appeared to have pressed the gas pedal instead of the brakes, causing her to plow through the UPS Store on Main Street.

But the most important thing we believe we've been able to accomplish in Madison has been giving the community a place where it can come to celebrate what makes the borough unique. Videos, photo galleries, and stories of events in sports, volunteerism, and special events have filled the site. Your announcements and events are able to be in a spot right next to all of the news from the borough that we're able to cover.

It's been quite a ride already, and we're excited about where Madison Patch and Patch in general are heading. Thanks for being a part of our historic day, and we look forward to the future in our communities–especially yours.

Attached to this article are many photos from our Photo of the Week column. Take a look back on some of the things we've brought to you so far this year.