Opportunity awaits city

As nylon production lines at Invista go idle, the ground moves beneath Waynesboro city leaders’ feet, which move but a little. When plates shift in the Earth’s lithosphere, results may vary: A tsunami may roll, a volcano may rumble or a mountain may form. Whether the giving way of an era in the River City spurs forces destructive or constructive is a fate not to be determined by fate at all but by the people who live and work here and their zeal, or lack of it, in casting sights beyond the present and growing malaise.

When the board of River City 2020, the economic development panel formed by The News Virginian, gathers Wednesday for its first meeting, the gloom of recent days surely will linger. Invista, which began the year as the city’s largest employer with a workforce of 1,100, last week announced the layoffs of 210 employees. That move followed word a week earlier that 132 contract workers at the plant would lose their jobs.

In addition to the pain these developments bring to workers and their families with Christmas only a couple of weeks away, there are symbolic implications. For almost 80 years, the factory Invista occupies on the South River – where DuPont operated for more than seven decades – has stood as a beacon of Waynesboro’s prosperity. Unease swells as that light dims.

While clinging with others in Waynesboro and Invista workers throughout the central Shenandoah Valley to the hope that the fibers maker will rebound on the strength of a resurgent economy next year, we see vividly the necessity of pulling in new business and new lights. Here is where River City 2020 steps forward.

Over the course of upcoming months, the board along with the newspaper will research business sectors to determine where the opportunities lie for building a better, stronger Waynesboro. A look at several of more than a half-dozen sectors that will fall under the board’s focus:

TECHNOLOGY: Several years ago, Harrisonburg created a downtown technology zone anchored by a 22,000-square-foot innovation center, to lure information technology companies and spur spinoff development. Waynesboro’s position as the midpoint in a triangle that includes Harrisonburg and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville could help the city reel in high-tech companies, an idea touted by former City Council candidate and River City 2020 member Chris Graham.

ENVIRONMENT: The coming years promise to be a boon for green businesses, with Democrats led by President-elect Barack Obama vowing to invest billions of dollars in public money in green jobs and alternative energy. Environmental research firms, which provide strong jobs, should proliferate. Waynesboro’s location between two education centers could position it ideally to capture some of the action.

TOURISM: No city in America boasts the unique geography of Waynesboro, near two scenic routes traveled by more than 20 million people annually and surrounded by some of America’s most picturesque natural treasures. A natural wildlife institute, featuring interactive displays of the various creatures and vegetation found in Valley forests, accompanied by a fishery and conference center on the banks of the South River and the existing Wildlife Center of Virginia would figure to pull travelers into town.

Next week in this space, we will explore other sectors. And in the meantime: Read The News Virginian on Thursday to learn more about River City 2020’s first meeting and go to our Web site at http://www.NewsVirginian.com that day to check out a blog and forum devoted to economic development in Waynesboro.

Though recent news is grim, our conviction is unwavering: This city’s best days yet wait. The necessity is for the city – its leaders and its people – to make haste in realizing that vision. Together, we can ensure that the shift now taking place is to an era brighter than the past.