Unprecedented.

Uncertain.

Tumultuous.

Challenging.

There have been many adjectives used to describe 2020, including some that cannot be repeated in the pages of these newspapers.

Indeed, the past year has presented some of the most unique and daunting circumstances that we as a community, a region, a country and a planet have experienced in quite some time.

While preparing for the publication of Community Outlook 2021, I looked back at last year’s publication and couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that 2020 proved more than anything that nothing is a certainty and how quickly our lives and plans can be altered in an instant.

Even with this in mind, however, it’s important to look ahead and plot a course for the future. What defines us as much as our actions during times of crisis is our perseverance and steadfast resolution to guide ourselves through to the other side successfully.

The efforts of our healthcare workers, first responders, front line and essential employees along with the work of public health officials and public and private service organizations to keep us safe and healthy, maintaining as many lives as possible from not only the unyielding and insidious virus have been legendary and laid the foundation for our successful recovery.

Vaccines have been developed and the challenge of delivering it to our communities has not been easy, but once again, our neighbors, family and friends have answered the call to ensure we all have an opportunity to be protected.

It is our duty to honor those efforts with meaningful planning and foresight as we push forward toward hopefully into a promising 2021.

Community Outlook 2021  in many ways highlights and celebrates our opportunity to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic and the efforts that have put us in this position while acknowledging the challenges we have faced and the hurdles that still lie ahead.

Inside, you will find columns by your local municipal officials and state legislators with insight on what lies ahead in 2021 for our cities and towns.

As well, stories from our reporters and submitted columns highlight various aspects of our communities from education to business to construction to public health.

Some school districts are looking at new horizons with a new superintendent in Agawam and a retiring school department head at the Gateway Regional School District. Meanwhile, other districts such as Westfield and Easthampton are excited by the prospect of new or refurbished school buildings and the opportunities they will provide students.

Work of local nonprofits and organizations such as the Agawam Lions Club, Habitat for Humanity and Easthampton City Arts never stopped with each group finding new and creative ways to serve the public.

The Pioneer Valley enjoyed the addition of new locally-owned businesses like Westfield’s Wickedly Wild Waffles and Joey’s Deli & Market in Agawam while others, such as The Big Red Frame in Easthampton, are preparing to celebrate two decades of business. Area realtors had to make significant changes to the way they approach home selling and buying, with positive results.

The anticipated completion of the Morgan-Sullivan Bridge project will be a long-awaited victory to members of the Agawam and West Springfield communizes as well as anyone who visits those towns. As that project will be ending, Westhampton may soon have the go-ahead to build a new, state-of-the-art public safety complex and the long deserted One Ferry Street property in Easthampton will begin having new life breathed into it.

Healthcare agencies like Baystate Noble Hospital are expanding services while the Hilltown Community Ambulance Association has big plans for its service from its new home. The National Alliance of Mental Illness Western Massachusetts, meanwhile, is focusing on providing resources and support to battle the current mental health crisis associated with the pandemic.

After thinking outside the box to provide socially-distanced entertainment in 2020, Six Flags New England hopes to bring back more of its traditional theme park fun. Likewise, the Springfield Thunderbirds are confident they will come back strong in October after opting out of the current hockey season due to a number of challenges. In Southwick, the party that started last year will roll right on into 2021 as its 250th anniversary celebration and festivities have been extended.

As rail travel continues to be a hot topic, the Valley Flyer,  a partnership with MassDOT and Amtrak, seeks to bolster its ridership in the coming year.

Changes are coming and so is the opportunity for growth.

Reminder Publishing is a reflection of that as we have stood by our responsibility of informing residents of the Pioneer Valley. Our company, like so many businesses, was not immune to the economic hardships of the past year, but our commitment to our readers and our advertisers has never wavered. We successfully expanded in the midst of the uncertainty with two new editions – one covering Easthampton, Westhampton and Southampton, and another serving Holyoke, South Hadley and Granby. We have plans for more in 2021.

We are confident and hopeful that this year will prove that the sacrifices we all have made over the past 12 months will have laid the foundation for the continued health and success of our families and communities.

The contributions of residents of the Pioneer Valley from all walks of life have been crucial to that end and with this year’s Community Outlook, we hope that shines through.

From all of us at Reminder Publishing, I wish you and yours good health and fortune as we work together to achieve great things in 2021.