Keep the momentum going

The plans are still good. The ideas still make sense.
Monday’s word that Dunkirk didn’t make the cut as a finalist for a transformative Stellar Communities grant was tremendously disappointing.
But the worst outcome would be if the community allowed this setback to derail its dreams.
So the state of Indiana got it wrong? So the Office of Community and Rural Affairs missed a chance to help work a miracle in Dunkirk? So what?
That’s their mistake.
Dunkirk’s challenge is to move forward, building upon the momentum gathered during the planning process, working patiently to execute the plans that have been put together.
It won’t be easy. Several million dollars in grant money would have made life easier.
But the plans are still good and the ideas still make sense.
Should the Dunkirk Public Library relocate into the former Stewart Brothers Furniture building? We think so.
Should the same building become home for The Glass Museum? We think so.
Should there be better, safer walkways connecting Westlawn Elementary School and downtown Dunkirk? We know so.
Should there be better, safer walkways connecting West Jay Community Center to downtown Dunkirk? You bet.
Does the blighted block north of the railroad tracks in downtown Dunkirk need to be razed? We think so.
Would a façade restoration program be a boost for the downtown? Obviously.
What’s not obvious, of course, is where the money will come from.
But there’s a roadmap now, a bundle of really good ideas that have sparked enthusiasm that’s been lacking in Dunkirk for too long. The thing to do is to put that roadmap to use.
It’s likely to take longer, and the road will be more difficult. But it’s still a journey worth taking. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]