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July 1, 2004
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July 1, 2004 |
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EDITORIAL Commerce park closer to reality The hard work and commitment of many individuals and organizations in Yellow Springs culminated recently in a collaboration which could be a turning point in the viability of the village. Community Resources cleared a major hurdle in its effort to build a commerce park in Yellow Springs when it purchased 46 acres of farmland last Friday. Having a piece of land on which to build the park proved to be a major undertaking for Community Resources, which worked for more than a year on this part of the project. Securing land gives the organization clout to seek a developer to build the park and, eventually, businesses to fill it. Community Resources purchased the land, located at Dayton-Yellow Springs and East Enon Roads, from Vernay Laboratories, using a $300,000 loan from the Village and a $100,000 grant from the Yellow Springs Community Foundation. This type of partnership between the private and public sectors should serve as a model for future endeavors. More good news came last week when Antioch University McGregor, whose president, Barbara Gellman-Danley, had said at one point last year that she was considering relocating the school, announced that the university was committed to remaining in town. In addition, McGregor, Community Resource members and Village officials said that the university would serve as an anchor for the commerce park. The current effort to build a commerce park goes back to the late 1990s, when Council started discussing the idea and Community Resources was formed. Community Resources, a community improvement corporation, is made up of a volunteer board whose members worked many hours over many years to reach the agreement signed this past week. Though there is still much to do to get a park built, the organization deserves recognition for its accomplishment. A commerce park will benefit Yellow Springs in many ways. Perhaps most importantly, jobs will be created and new businesses will have more incentive to come to town. Businesses already located here will have an opportunity to expand within the village. Preserving our tax base is even more important with the loss of jobs recently at Vernay Laboratories. Many people contributed to the land deal and worked with McGregor and Ms. Gellman-Danley to convince the university that Yellow Springs is the right place for the school. It makes sense for McGregor to stay in Yellow Springs, where it was founded. That McGregor and the village have realized their importance to each other is a positive step. Even better will be a continued use of cooperation and creativity towards building a successful commerce park that serves the community. |
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