GILL — After at least 47 years of combined service, the leaders of the Gill Newsletter have retired and passed the torch on to their successors.

In March, editor Susan LaScala, along with Barbara Watson who solicits advertisements and Harry van Baaren who worked on the newsletter’s layout, announced they would be retiring after their May newsletter. The newsletter is published quarterly to share Gill-related news with residents such as town government updates, election results and event announcements.

Although LaScala originally wasn’t interested in contributing to the newsletter, she said that in the end, she was glad to have been a part of it for those roughly eight years.

“I feel like it was the town that really wanted it to continue,” LaScala said. “And even though it was only [published] four times a year, it felt like a responsible way to be a part of my community and to do something locally.”

Upon her retirement, LaScala said it’s a “very busy time” as she wants to spend more time with her children, including her son who lives in Slovenia.

“That relationship is really important to me,” she said about her children.

As LaScala, Watson and van Baaren retire from their roles, two new Gill residents have stepped up to take over publishing the newsletter. Co-editors Mimi Mayer and Joan Meyer were appointed by the Selectboard on June 3.

Mayer explained that the newsletter helped her acclimate to Gill when she arrived as a new resident around a year ago, and she was interested in the opportunity to continue the newsletter when the previous leaders retired.

“It was an easy transition since the outgoing people were so helpful,” Mayer said. Referencing Meyer, she added, “We thought this was something we could do.”

As Mayer and Meyer enter the co-editor roles, Mayer said they’ve heard positive comments from members of the public who are excited to see the newsletter continue.

“People have been lovely and very welcoming,” she said.

The latest newsletter is now available at Town Hall and on the Gill town website. The newsletter will contain the same kind of information under new leadership.

Prior to his retirement, van Baaren was responsible for laying out the newsletter after LaScala had finished editing the content, a role he had held since 2007. For some years, van Baaren lived in Gill, but he is now a Bernardston resident and he feels the publication is ready for “a fresh crew.”

“I enjoyed doing it,” he said. “It’s generally worthwhile for the community.”

Out of the three retiring newsletter leaders, Watson contributed the longest. She worked on the publication’s advertisements and copies since 2002, continuing a tradition of keeping the “community newsletter alive.”

“I just have been doing it long enough,” Watson said of her decision to retire. “I’m a grandmother now. ... I do a lot of different volunteer work. ... It’s just become too much to do that as well.”

Watson volunteers for Meals on Wheels and is a member of Gill Neighbors, a volunteer group that assists the town’s seniors.

“I hope that it continues,” she said of the Gill Newsletter. “I hope that the next generation shows some interest in getting involved and keeping it going because I would hate to see it go by the wayside.”

Town Administrator Ray Purington wrote a letter to LaScala, van Baaren and Watson in March, thanking them for their years of volunteerism.

“The three of you are the stalwarts and bastions of the town’s longest-running publication, and we can never say enough words to adequately thank each of you for your many years of volunteerism,” the letter reads. “So, I will say it simply, with the heartfelt appreciation of the entire town cram-packed into these two words: Thank You.”

Archived copies of the Gill Newsletter can be found at gillmass.org/p/42/Newsletter.

Staff writer Erin-Leigh Hoffman contributed reporting.