A nice place: Proposed park will enhance entire community

The proposal for the new Stoney Creek Park is the first step in creating more than just another nice place for residents to use in the city of Goldsboro.

And although the park will feature a whole lot of really nice amenities for residents of all ages, the reason that this community and its leaders should push forward with the project and others like it is simple — the future.

Stoney Creek Park and other projects of this sort are exactly the kind of investment in amenities and infrastructure that potential investors are looking for when they are trying to find a community to put new plants and employees.

Quality-of-life issues are so important when a companyis deciding between potential locations or determining if an exisiting plant is worth upgrading. Sometimes how a community looks and the image it projects are more important than the shell building or available land it has to offer.

Communities that work hard to provide areas where people want to live are more likely to get noticed and to get more jobs.

Communities that seem to be stagnant, with outdated amenities and little improvement planned, are likely to be passed over as officials and families try to determine the best place for their new businesses or homes.

As Wayne County and Goldsboro officials begin another year, tops on their priority lists should be taking a hard look at what this community has to offer not only to potential new residents, but to those who currently live here.

More parks, better roads, good housing value and shopping convenience are all factors that businesses and families are looking for when choosing where they will locate. And reasonable taxes and effective city services don’t hurt either.

This is also a case where first impressions matter, too. Litter-free highways and a vibrant downtown with a zero tolerance policy for dilapidated buildings will go a long way toward saying just how much this community is looking toward the future — and aggressively seeking investment to make that future possible.

By taking an aggressive approach to these improvements, Wayne County can announce itself as a much better choice for investment and continue to attract even more attention around the region.

Stoney Creek Park is a vital, and welcome, first step.

Published in Editorials on January 6, 2006 11:09 AM