You’ve heard the phrase, "If you build it, they will come.

Tuesday, July 25, 2000

You’ve heard the phrase, "If you build it, they will come." It’s from a movie that came out some years back. But now, the Rome Township trustees say that Hollywood phrase will become reality – with the help of community members and civic organizations willing to make their end of Lawrence County a little more attractive.

It’s no secret the township has been planning for several years to turn the old Ohio River Lock 27 area into a park.

In fact, many sportsmen, recreation lovers, even nearby neighbors looking for a picnic spot, have used the old lock since its closure, which likely sparked the idea among the trustees.

The township now has some grant funding, as well as some good ideas, and they plan to put them into action around September.

This is good news for the county, and the trustees should be applauded.

Too often, we see parts of the riverbank covered in trash, or usable historic sites in ruins, so it’s nice to see a township trying to change that by providing its taxpaying citizens with a free place to have some fun and enjoy the outdoors.

Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the future park project will be our children, who will have a nice park to call their own, to grow up in, and to which they will one day bring their own children.

Yet, that will never happen without support from the community.

The trustees need helping hands to build it so that others will come.

If everyone that uses it donates just a few minutes of time, it won’t take long to turn dream into reality.