Tribune editorial board

You'll never catch a fish if you don't drop a line in the water. And, well, if you drop more than one line into the water the odds of hauling in a catch increase dramatically.

And it is with that logic that the Ironton Port Authority is plowing ahead with its work to bring new jobs to the city and in particular the South Ironton Industrial Park.

Last week the volunteer members of the authority announced that currently three different lines were in the development waters and each looked promising.

Of the three prospects, two are state agencies looking to relocate their current headquarters.

The state would be wise to build such facilities in Ironton. As the county seat and as an area that is poised for growth, locating here now would be an excellent way in which to place for the future and a way of saying "we understand you guys have had some tough times and we want to help."

Having several good, attractive new buildings in the industrial park would go a long way toward showing the world that Ironton is ready for its rebirth. The heavy industry of yesteryear may be gone, but the city is a clean canvas for anyone looking to grow their business in a city with some of the hardest workers around.

But more exciting than the governmental agencies is a start-up metal materials processing plant. Organizers of the facility say if the plant is located in Ironton, it could initially bring eight new jobs, but could eventually grow into several hundred new jobs.

Kudos to the volunteers of Ironton Port Authority for working hard to chase down every possible lead and for helping get things moving to bring new business into the area.

We have faith that their continuing efforts to keep multiple lines in the water will soon yield a nice catch, or maybe catches. Either way, we're happy they are working for change.