Last week, The Post-Journal asked readers whether or not the National Comedy Center would become a catalyst for downtown revitalization. Sadly, by a margin of 68 to 32 percent, readers said that it would not. Is this not a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure? There is no greater assurance of failure than a negative attitude that suppresses any chance for success. If, in our striving for improvement, we are convinced of our failure, failure is sure to be the result.

The Jamestown Renaissance Corporation, a private-public partnership, led by its 14-member Board of Directors along with a small staff of employees, is charged with the lofty task of revitalizing the downtown area and neighboring communities. As we should all understand, this task is not a simple matter, but rather a long term process that involves the continued support and dedication of various institutions from local business owners, city leadership, non-profit organizations, and on down to volunteers offering up their time and service as goodwill offerings to their community. All of these institutions and individuals work hand in hand under the guidance of the JRC in order to make Jamestown a better place to work, live, and visit.

Much like most of the northeastern and midwestern United States, our once great and thriving manufacturing town has fallen victim to a myriad of circumstances, some avoidable and some not, that have led to a communal decline. Wages have fallen. Jobs have been lost. Ma and Pa businesses have been replaced by multi-national corporations with cares and desires that have little concern for our city, its neighborhoods, or our community, in general.

I assure you, our community is not relegated to a continued state of deterioration. Thanks to the JRC and the institutions that aid it, our city is indeed on the mend. Perhaps, if you just work in Jamestown and reside elsewhere, or if you live elsewhere and only visit on occasion, you would not notice the transformation that is continually taking place in the Downtown area as well as the outlying neighborhoods that comprise the city as a whole. Anyone who lives here has seen the fruition of the hard work from the JRC, our small business owners, and the volunteers and patrons that have helped our community’s “renaissance.”

Having said this, it is obvious that there is still much work to be done. Jamestown continues to struggle with many issues, the majority of which are all too common among similarly size communities throughout the U.S. It is worth noting that many of these problems are out of the hands of organizations such as the JRC, who do not have the ability or responsibility of creating nor enforcing laws or codes. Those tasks remain, as they should, with local government and the law enforcement community. But, with city government focused on tackling the issues of day to day operations, creating and maintaining law and order, and providing a safe and functioning infrastructure, as social constructs, they are left with little or no resources to tackle things like community redevelopment.

That is where the JRC steps in. They have no responsibility towards those day to day tasks that keep a community functioning. Because of the nature of this relationship, the JRC is free to focus on development, enhancement, and the tasks that go beyond city operations. Likewise, this makes the success of the JRC all that much more important. Anyone can keep a community functioning. But, what does it take to reverse negative trends of economic decline? What does it take to make once thriving sections of the community thrive once more? We are not talking about maintaining status quo. We are talking about creating a future that will encourage further growth and development. We are talking about a future that we can all be proud of and that our children will wish to stay in. We are talking about the type of community we brag to our friends that we are a part of. We are talking about a climate of success that is contagious. Those are all generic generalities, I realize.

The specifics include the completion of the National Comedy Center, improving the aesthetics of the downtown area, finding businesses to occupy vacant store fronts, assisting local businesses with the support and resources that will help them succeed, restructuring and redeveloping vacant commercial space, redeveloping residential properties, removing vacant and uninhabitable properties, improving the aesthetics of our once vibrant neighborhoods…the list goes on and on. The JRC will have a role in all of these.

It seems all too often, naysayers are willing to voice their criticisms. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The JRC is not a flawless entity, nor is any. I am sure they would welcome such criticism, so long as it was presented in a respectful and constructive manner. But, in my experience, most of the naysayers do not bother themselves to become involved beyond “nay-saying.” Becoming involved is much more difficult. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why anyone would be joyous or lighthearted about the potential failures or shortcomings of an organization such as the JRC. It is simply a group of people dedicated to carving out a more successful and prosperous future for our community. If they fail, we all fail. The more support they receive, the more we all will benefit and the quicker and more pronounced our community’s “renaissance” will be.

James Bliss