For far too many years, the Center Street fountain in Ironton was not much more than a hole in the ground that sprayed a little bit of water.

The project made a lot of sense when it was first initiated but had sort of fallen by the wayside over the years and into a state of disrepair.

Thankfully, the Ironton Rotary Club has stepped up to try to change that.

The civic organization, whose motto has always been “Service Above Self,” is donating significant time and money to repair and improve the area around the fountain, with the ultimate hope of creating a pleasant place for people to visit and relax downtown.

With plans to ask the city to rename the area Rotary Fountain, the five-year improvement plan centers on replacing bricks, cleaning up the actual fountain itself, doing some landscaping, building a shaded pergola-style trellis and just making a commitment to keeping the area looking nice.

We applaud the Rotary for taking on this project. Like many civic organizations, the number of members has dwindled in recent years, placing even more of a burden on those who are active in the community.

This type of project is a challenge for organizations the size of Ironton Rotary but one worth tackling.

Special recognition goes to community service chairperson Rich Mountain for his leadership in guiding this project.

Rich has put lots of time and volunteer work hours into this project, as have several other Rotarians.

We hope other civic organizations follow in these footsteps and find a community project to adopt so that they too can make a difference.