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The message "it's important to be persistent," contained in a Sept. 19-20 Mirror article about the Altoona Redevelopment Authority's "scaling up" of its battle against blight in the city, is especially apropos regarding Tyrone's push to obtain public input concerning the future of the borough.
In the redevelopment article in question, Josh Kaufman, the city's designated blight manager, was listed as the person responsible for "digging into ownership" of problem properties in an effort to uncover individuals willing to deal with the authority.
"It's important to be persistent, so that reluctant ones become 'willing to play ball,' " Kaufman said at an authority meeting Sept. 18, noting one of the main focuses of his duties. Oftentimes, success in dealing with those reluctant initially is the key to overall success of an identified mission.
Such is the case, too, regarding Tyrone's goal of compiling data important -- indeed, crucial -- to preparation of a new, meaningful comprehensive plan.
The current comprehensive plan, last updated in 2007 - 19 years ago - certainly lacks full ability to deal with changes affecting the borough that have evolved over the nearly two decades since. It's important now that the community gather as many perspectives as possible to ensure that the new plan, in whatever way it is assembled, is capable of producing maximum achievements for the town in future years.
And, it is important to emphasize that the new plan that will be prepared undergoes an organized updating 10 years beyond its completion, not the 19 years that the currently in effect plan has waited.
Benefiting the mission of new-plan development is having someone so committed to it like Mayor John Harlow.
When Harlow came into office earlier this year, one of his first moves was getting in touch with the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development to see what Tyrone could do to make itself more eligible for grants capable of making the borough more vibrant.
The mayor's discussion with DCED made clear to him that the borough was in need of a new comprehensive plan to keep Tyrone noticed in Harrisburg as a moving-forward community, not just a dot on Pennsylvania's maps.
As a Sept. 19-20 Mirror article dealing with preparation of a new plan reported, Harlow encouraged borough council members to create a new plan that would provide solid bases for bringing new revenue into the community - revenue that would become part of the town's lifeblood, moving forward.
The borough's current push to gather public input regarding the directions that should be central to the community's future is a great beginning to producing the kind of successes that Harlow, and now other borough leaders, hope to attain.
Indeed, every borough resident should be interested in doing whatever they can do to guarantee that no workable ideas are left out of the comprehensive plan preparation.
The survey being conducted as a prelude to the actual drawing-up of the new plan, according to the Sept. 19-20 Mirror article, is "asking people … what they value most about the borough, what matters need the most attention and what they want for Tyrone's future."
Beyond actual residents, the survey is seeking input from non-residents who work in the borough, Tyrone Area High School students and anyone else who cares about Tyrone's future.
It's a laudable process amid a laudable beginning, but remaining persistent will be vital.