Roundtable Mission
“To establish a welcoming public forum that seeks understanding and commonality through civil dialog and stewardship.”
About
Founded in September of 2025, the Community Roundtable seeks practical solutions to current problems that impact everyone. Each month the Roundtable dives into an current social challenge for study and discussion.
For example, we discussed Access to Health Care during Feb of 2026, and in March we’ll take up The Social Impact of AI.
Meetings
Held on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month at 8:30AM, the Roundtable
- Is open the public
- Meets at Bob’s Chocolate Cafe in Francestown, where yummy things are available
- Follows a Code of Conduct
- Seeks to include many viewpoints
If you are interested in more info, please fill out a contact form!
Great job team! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts
That mission statement works for me. Now we need to establish our goal (or goals) and move forward with more than interesting conversations.
I think about your question and I look at our community, and I think in many ways we are an example of a community that pulls together when we wake up in the morning . What is the still voice that is in us individually when we wake up? Is it one of contempt and anger, or is it one of hope and looking forward to the day.
Let me take some examples:
If I look over the last five years, think of all of the activities that came alive in Francestown after the pandemic. There is our Rec department, which stood still during the pandemic where only a few were able to take part in the minimal activities offered. Now there are many varied activities for both children and adults, depending on your desires. I would venture to say when people participate in those activities they’re not thinking about their differences but rather they’re enjoying the common activity. That’s a beautiful thing and it leads to teamwork.
Next, look at the library’s circulation which has seen a surge that is happening both in the children’s library and adult library. It is refreshing to see the activity that happens in a given month and really quite extraordinary. Drop in and see for yourself on any given afternoon. Once again, people don’t go into the library to be confrontational rather they go in to learn and to be with other people and enjoy the experience. And then there is Bob’s Café, which is a huge addition to our community. Even the open concept of the large table is meant to bring fourth people who want to talk with people they know and those they are just meeting and to just enjoy one other’s company around a good cup of coffee, some pastries or chocolate. That is why it is called comfort food. If I go to the transfer station I see organized activity and friendliness with the staff and neighbors in conversation. I don’t see angry people. I don’t see the great divide the press is talking about. When it is snowing and the highway department is out plowing our streets all night, I see service. When the fire department compassionately comes to our door if we are in need, we are the great recipients of their helping attitude. The Exploring our Trails program through FLT and Con Com is a wonderful way to be out in nature and learn about our conserved lands.
My point is that we live in an absolutely beautiful community. We’re individuals who have differences and always will but we come together as a whole and therefore have a thriving, nurturing place to live. Hats off to our town!
There are many influencers in the podcast and social media world trying to get us to click on their conversation, which is usually prefaced by controversy. Unfortunately, sensational headlines sell and people are attracted to them. We buy on to sensationalism and, like in a novel, read to find out what is going to happen even if it is written by a foreign influencer or generated by AI from a person with devious intent. It is hard to know where one can get factual news because what we read is so full of so much opinion. This is an age of communication. That is something we can and should be proud of but in challenging times it seems wise to be prudent about content we absorb.