Communities reap what they sow

“A farmer went out to sow his seed. And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.

Some fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun rose, the seedlings were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the seedlings.

Still other seed fell on good soil and produced a crop— a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.” (Matthew 13:3-9) As any person who works the soil can tell you, good harvests don’t happen by themselves.

Preparing a field takes back-breaking labor. Clearing the thorns and brush, picking the endless amount of rocks, turning the earth and preparing it with nutrients to make it good productive soil.

Countless hours of work go into preparing a field or even a garden for planting. The work doesn’t stop there. Farmers and gardeners must continue to be good stewards of their resources making an ongoing investment in time, energy and resources to ensure there is good soil for seed to sprout and grow strong.

Communities are the same way. Economic growth does not occur by some miraculous happenstance. An industry does not simply decide this is the place to build a new plant or that a retail store would look nice over there.

What may appear as luck or providence to the outsider, disregards the efforts made over generations to build the fields of good soil, clear of rock and thorns.

As any farmer will tell you, the work never stops. There will always be rock to pick from fields and if left fallow a field will quickly become overrun with brush.

Communities that don’t pay attention to their basic infrastructure needs, and whose residents shy away from the work and investment needed to prepare for future growth and renewal are doomed to become nothing more than derelict place-names on maps.

This week, a group of concerned citizens announced a project to build a new bandshell in the city park. The project is an exciting one that has the potential to serve as a springboard for other opportunities. Another group has been hard at work to reinvigorate the downtown with a focus on making a space more functional not only for the weekly farmer’s markets but for a myriad of other community uses.

On the broader level, the school district is asking community members to make a renewed investment in the high school. Expanding classroom and shop areas to bring additional resources to educate students for the jobs industry and business in the community desperately need while addressing safety and traffic concerns.

These projects share the common goal of being a continued investment in the community. They will all take commitment and some measure of sacrifice to see through to successful completion.

Success doesn’t happen by chance. Success is built on work and continued investment in time, resources and labor. This generation, and future ones, must be willing to make the investment so that the community’s soil remains fertile and provides a place for seeds to take root and grow strong.