Published: October 11, 2008 10:42 pm         

Great example

Summersville area steps up for the future of its citizens

It’s no secret that many small communities rally around public school athletic programs as a source of pride. Several towns and hamlets across West Virginia, and the country for that matter, are perfect examples.

In Summersville, the community came together in 2007 and pooled resources to replace an aging and troubled field at Memorial Stadium with a state-of-the-art artificial surface. The positive impact was immediate with student participation in football, soccer and the band soaring. Event attendance is on the rise. The facility is again one of West Virginia’s finest.

Unquestionably a success.

It would be easy for the movers and shakers in Summersville to sit back and just admire their work, but they aren’t satisfied with simply being in the “look what we did for the kids of this generation” mode.

The Memorial Stadium work is actually morphing into something else new and exciting.

Using the success of the field project as a springboard, a movement is now under way to explore the possibility of establishing a YMCA somewhere in town. That would be another huge step forward.

As those in Beckley and Raleigh County can certainly attest to, a strong YMCA can bring together folks from all walks and ages of life for the betterment of the entire community.

Making it happen in Summersville won’t be easy, or as quick as the field replacement. But if the persistence that was displayed last year serves as an indicator of the public’s commitment, it can and will be done.

We applaud the visionaries in Nicholas County for pushing forward to improve life for their citizens, young and old.

They aren’t sitting around waiting for someone else to do it, they are doing it themselves. A testament to what can be achieved when minds are open and people are willing.