Thanks For Everything, Greendale Patch Users

As many Patch readers already know, the days of Greendale Patch as you’ve come to know it are extremely numbered.

Back in mid-August, several of the Milwaukee area staff members were let go and the remaining seven of us were given two more months before meeting our professional as a result of massive layoffs across the country as AOL tries to make Patch profitable.

October 15 is our last day. The Milwaukee-area Patch sites will not close, as previously rumored and reported, but there will be no local staff. So, keep blogging, using the event calendar and accessing old stories as you wish.

So, now what? Maybe, someday, Greendale Patch will be revived, or maybe taken over by another media group. But until then, I encourage you to bookmark EverythingGreendale.com, a blog by Bill Attewell. Granted, as it is a blog, Attewell is not required to check his opinions at the door, but from what I can tell, you won’t find more information and news about Greendale anywhere else. The blog is truly an asset to the community.

I personally thanked my Greenfield Patch readers earlier this week with this column. I have been a part of that community since Dec. 2010. My guess is that had she been given the chance to write her farewell address, Viviana Buzo, who worked tirelessly to build Greendale Patch from scratch for more than two years, would echo several of my sentiments.

Truth is, I never got to know Greendale like my good friend Viviana did, or like I got to know Greenfield. For the better part of 2013, we endured so many personnel and structural changes, we were constantly juggling and changing our coverage of Greendale. By the time I was put in the role full-time, I could see the writing on the wall.

I hope you still found value in the site, but know this: I regret not being able to give the community all I had, or the coverage it deserved.

Greendale is an incredible community, and many thanks to the countless folks who supported Patch by blogging on the site, sending us news tips, leaving comments or feedback and of course, just for reading.

We appreciated all your support and wish you and the Village nothing but the best.