(Letter to the Editor - Graphic Illustration/MetroCreativeConnection)

Great news! After several decades of waiting, our hometown’s officials are moving to the front burner plans for an activity and recreation center.

Our city park, which was established in 1897 — over 125 years ago — is one of West Virginia’s most attractive and utilized urban parks. It is surrounded by residential property and has limited infrastructure to support the volume of people and traffic that the center will attract, which makes it the wrong location for this new facility.

There are acres of empty parking lots in the lower downtown area that would be perfect for such a center, especially with infrastructure already in place to handle the crowds and traffic.

The economic benefits from this center are substantial. In the past, when such a center has been built, it is followed by a multitude of other development with businesses that will benefit from the crowds that the center will draw.

Also, with this 58,000 square foot center, we will be able to attract events that currently cannot be accommodated in our limited seating venues, including statewide conventions that bypass Parkersburg due to our not having a facility to handle the large number of attendees.

This activity and recreation center will be a major win-win for our city!

Always Parkersburg proud.

Wayne Waldeck

Parkersburg