Right to wait: Teen club needs to have its i’s dotted and t’s crossed first

It is nice to see a group of young people ready, willing and able to stand up to do something positive for their community and their fellow teenagers.

The Boot proposal before the Goldsboro City Council Monday night is a nice start to finding a way to give local students something to do downtown.

But as good idea as it is — and as impressive as the young people are who are putting the plan together — Mayor Al King and members of the City Council were right to do more than rubberstamp the plan.

The mayor wants to meet with The Boot’s organizers and City Manager Joe Huffman to go over a few of the concerns and challenges that go along with a plan that is that ambitious.

Hopefully, they will talk about logistics and potential roadblocks such as safety and keeping the venue open to all teens who want to come.

And even though we want to be completely positive about any idea that brings new life to downtown Goldsboro and helps local young people as well, there are concerns that need to be addressed before the doors open — not after.

Fortunately, this group of young people seems to understand that — and they are ready to meet to get some advice, explore some possibilities and turn their dream from paper plans into reality.

By taking the project slowly, Goldsboro has more of a chance of putting together a venue that will be safe, fun and reasonably accessible to teens of all walks of life. And, the organizers will have their dream while minimizing the risk to themselves and their families.

The Boot has not gotten the boot. In fact, this meeting is a sign that city leaders are listening to the area’s young people and taking their needs into account.

And for the young people who dared to dream — they are holding fast, too. They want a place to gather safely that will be around a while — and they are willing to work for it. That sounds like a winning combination.

Published in Editorials on July 10, 2007 11:44 AM