From left to right, Mayor James Gatz and town council member Shannon Thomas listen to the plans of new Corporation of Shepherdstown communications manager Michael Chalmers, in Town Hall on June 11. Photo by Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Corporation of Shepherdstown will soon be communicating more clearly with local residents, with the adoption of a new “Town Communications Plan.”

The plan, which was introduced during the monthly Shepherdstown town council meeting on June 11, was developed by new communications manager Michael “Mike” Chalmers.

“Mike has already been working through the initial phases of this position for a month,” said Mayor James Gatz. “He will briefly highlight some of his duties within the scope of the plan, as well as some of his vision for developing a more robust, efficient and cohesive communications system coming out of Town Hall.”

Chalmers, who is a longtime resident of Shepherdstown and former editor-in-chief of The Observer, said he plans to focus on improving the Corporation of Shepherdstown’s communication with general public, in a variety of ways.

“I’m here to help build language and help build promotion, in different types of outward communication for the mayor’s office, but then also to help organize that process, as well,” Chalmers said. “We want to have a streamlined system.”

According to Chalmers, of utmost importance is to improve the town’s email messaging system, by dividing things the town needs to communicate into three categories and sending them out accordingly: emergency communications; a weekly Town Hall Update of things that are about to happen, like trash pickup or town-sponsored events, and things that have happened over the past week in town; and a monthly Town Hall Newsletter, which would address one or two larger issues in town.

“We don’t want to bombard the public with information. I feel like we have some platforms now, with the website, social media and the email system, as well as press releases, which you’re going to see more-and-more of,” Chalmers said. “We’re going to try to start crafting the brand — the town logo and maybe some letter heads that would start to look familiar across all of these platforms, so that people will think, “This is what Town Hall looks like. This is what Town Hall sounds like.'”

He said he also plans to: update the town website’s content, working to enhance certain features and functions on it; establish a consistent social media announcement process for Town Hall-specific information and announcements, although he will not manage the town’s social media; craft consistent, specific communications from the mayor’s office; and establish a project management software that will be used internally by Town Hall staff, with the aim of organizing and streamlining all work related to Town Hall’s internal and external communications, as well as outward-facing projects.