A journalist and social reformer, Lincoln Steffens once visited an old country made new by a revolution. You can Google this if you want, but the trip is irrelevant to this letter, except for one famous quote from Steffens, which came to me as I left the special town meeting on the evening of Nov. 17 at the Shepherdstown Community Club, “I have seen the future and it works.”

This meeting, called into existence by one town council member was attended by a solid majority from council, with an emptying-the-cupboards of all the chairs because of so many interested townspeople; with a panel of business people, new and established; and with a long-time nonprofit doer of major deeds in this town, giving everything that was needed.

Some history, some presentations of business (and town) problems and then the offering of ideas that might be considered to move our friendly, successful town forward were presented. People did make offers, carefully, civilly and positively. Then there was the request to leave and take action: talk to our council folk and send ideas to them and the mayor. We were also encouraged to talk amongst ourselves and refine and add more notions to what we wanted to see taking place in the future. Go to the next of these meetings.

As was incisively said, with the businesses, the nonprofits and the town working together, this town is prepared to take the next leap forward into its future. I left the meeting that night, confident that it would happen.

Oh, I have a few ideas that are going to be sent directly to the town council. One of which I would like to express in this letter. Even a town that can’t hold a berry bush to this one — fine, Berryville, Va. (no offense but you’re not Sheptown) — has laminated (or plastic) rack-size (or larger) cards full of all the town’s businesses and addresses and hours and all a visitor may need to know when they visit.

We could, too.

Mark Kohut, of Shepherdstown