There are going to be some who will be upset if the Chautauqua County Legislature approves a $200,000 allocation to the National Comedy Center when the legislature meets Wednesday.

We understand the concerns.

Millions of government dollars have been given to help build the center, and hundreds of thousands of dollars have been given – largely from the state and federal governments – to help market the center and sustain it during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are some who will say the National Comedy Center shouldn’t get more local government money given the needs facing the county.

We might agree if the funding was coming from the county’s surplus because that money could be spent on a host of other needs that affect county residents. They’re asking for surplus funding from the county’s bed tax – which means the center’s request is putting that $200,000 to use exactly as it is supposed to be used. Money paid by visitors is supposed to be used to attract more visitors.

It would also be a difficult request, in our opinion, if the county funding was being used to fill a hole in the center’s operational budget. But that’s not what the Comedy Center officials are asking for. The center has received state funding to help market the National Comedy Center, and the local money will be used as matching money for the state grant. It makes some sense to market the center more in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, two areas where center officials feel they aren’t attracting enough visitors. Pittsburgh, in particular, makes sense given the number of Pittsburgh residents who regularly visit Warren County. Comedy Center officials should be looking to entice those visiting the Warren area to make the 15-minute drive to Jamestown.

It would be nice if economic development was as simple as it appears to be in Field of Dreams, when Ray Kinsella built his baseball field in the middle of an Iowa cornfield and people simply showed up in droves. That’s not the way it works in the real world. We’ve built a comedy center, and people are coming. But it takes money to deliver the storybook ending in Field of Dreams.

The county funding is an investment. If it pays off, the county will see the residual benefit in additional bed and sales taxes as Pittsburgh and Cleveland area residents spend their money in Chautauqua County. It’s an investment the county should make, in our opinion.