New optimism: Community poised for ever greater possibilities

Thursday’s announcement of a new call center for the Fraternal Order of Police — and the 120 new jobs that will accompany it — suggests that there just might be reason to think there is more good news ahead for this county than bad.

The recent Base Realignment and Closure commission announcement gave Wayne County the security — at least for now — that it needs to set aside worrying and to start thinking about what the next steps should be to foster more interest in this community.

Wayne County has one of the best U.S. Air Force bases in the country — and a community that has proven time and time again it is willing to support it and the personnel who work there.

This county has a legion of volunteers ready and willing to do whatever it takes to make this a better place to live, whether it is by pulling up weeds to make an Arts Council garden or donning an orange vest to pick up litter along the highways.

And there even seems to be a bit of a new spirit of cooperation among some leaders who are looking ahead to bigger and better.

There is a new sense of possibility here, and the chance to look hard at what we have to offer and how to make it more appealing to potential new residents and new business.

This county has many signs of growth, new retail businesses coming in as well as optimistic news from some established firms.

Economic development even seems to be picking up, with possibilities still out there that might now become reality.

So, while we will continue to hold our officials accountable for the money they are spending, now might be the time to think ahead a bit to where we want to see our county in the next 10 years — and what we will need to get there.

This community has just begun to scratch the surface of its potential.

Now might be the time to think about how to turn that spark into a flame.

Published in Editorials on June 10, 2005 11:16 AM