New Wellington newspaper debuts in August

By North Forty News Staff

All Wellington residents will have a local newspaper in their mailboxes every week starting with the first issue of The Wellington on Aug. 8.

The newspaper, exclusively for and about Wellington, will arrive again on Aug. 15 and 22. Then, on Aug. 29, every Wellington address will get its longstanding North Forty News, which will adhere to the same monthly publication schedule it has followed since 1993. The publication schedule of the two newspapers will complement each other throughout the year.

The Wellington becomes the third newspaper in a family of independent community publications owned by Mike and JoAn Bjarko. Their company also publishes the Fossil Creek Current, a monthly newspaper for south Fort Collins and Timnath.

The new paper will take the name The Wellington, after the first weekly bulletin that started up in the town 102 years ago. The Wellington made its debut July 1, 1905, and continued to publish under that name until 1909, when it became The Wellington Sun. Wellington's last weekly newspaper stopped publishing in 1988.

"We felt there is a need for a weekly newspaper in Wellington," said publisher Mike Bjarko, adding that the formation of the Wellington Area Chamber of Commerce was the impetus to start the new publication this year. "Being a free newspaper, we had to look at the advertising potential as well as the population."

Wellington Town Administrator Larry Lorentzen estimates the town's population at 5,300, double the figure of the 2000 census and quadrupling the 1990 population. The greater Wellington area has about 8,000 residents, and Poudre School District just opened a second elementary school in town. The 2-year-old chamber of commerce has more than 100 members.

"Our purpose is to focus on local news," Bjarko said. "We want to build a community paper that Wellington residents can call their own."

As part of a group of community newspapers, The Wellington will be able to rely on a news and advertising staff with substantial experience in journalism and business.

Businesses interested in reaching the Wellington area market through this newspaper may call The Wellington advertising department at 530-2944. Advertising deadline is noon Thursdays. News deadline is noon Fridays.

The Wellington will publish 40 times a year. Subscriptions are available for those living outside the area who want to receive the paper by mail. There will also be several newsstand locations in Wellington where people can pick up their free community newspaper.