A vision for the Valley
Today is the first official day of summer
Today is the first official day of summer
and the Mid Mon Valley, should become an exciting hub of activity.
Within many of these boroughs, there have been and shall continue to be, demolition projects, tearing down houses and buildings that have long passed their prime. Several of these spots in downtown Monessen have already been removed, leaving an abundance of vacant lots. These vacancies can and hopefully shall open the door for a genuine renaissance and reformation throughout this entire wonderfully situated, historically rich and tremendously God-gifted Mid-Mon Valley.
The basic elements including an awesome riverfront, a melting pot of ethnic groups, a cultural heritage, and some tremendously gifted artists and athletes offer an excellent starting point for some interesting developments.
Couple all these advantages with some ingenious leadership, and you open the door for grants to be written and inventive entrepreneurs to begin multi-million dollar projects along those same inviting riverfronts.
For this to occur, it is necessary that all the infighting and squabbling that take place during many of our council meetings must end.
Let’s see some cooperation not only at those individual council meetings, but let’s reach out and cross that river to unite the boroughs and the townships which surround them into a united body.
Rather than competing with one another allow us to join forces by allowing each community to excel in its own particular gifts.
Cooperation and team work should replace the jealousy and pettiness which now exists. In doing so we could become one huge tourist and business center while each community retains its own individual identity.
Nearly 37 years ago, during September 1987, I wrote a fictional story for the original Valley Independent, which viewed this Valley in that same context of cooperation. In this story an imaginary family from Omaha, Neb., was touring our Valley on a summer vacation.
Two years later, during the April 1990, then Managing Editor Frank Jaworowski asked me to write a second story concerning our revamped Mon Valley.
In the second story I had that same Omaha family visiting our river shores, but this visit was during the Christmas season along the Mon.
My son, Brian, an accomplished artist, illustrated those stories and, at that time I received many favorable vibes from readers, but the future vision I had hoped would materialize never did. Now, with all that is currently happening in our marvelous Mon Valley, I would like to have the Omaha family visit us in 2029.
For the next few weeks, I shall be using this “Etched in Stone” column as the source for such a visit.
Using many of the same visions I wrote about 37 years ago, they will be edited and added to meet our recent changes.
Hopefully, some of my visions shall find the eyes, ears, and hearts of some of our community and county leaders, and perhaps there is a millionaire or two with a great enough imagination to realize the tremendous potential within this Valley. Perhaps the day shall come when it is all, indeed, “Etched in Stone.”
Next week the Higgins family vacations on the Mon!
Columnist Ralph E. Stone is a Monessen High School Class of 1951 graduate.
A retired educator for 32 years, he has written a stop smoking program titled GASP, “God Answers Smokers Prayers” and “Bible Border Notes.” He resides in North Charleroi with his wife Marilynne. He is available for speaking engagements for church groups and social organizations by phoning him at 724-483-2132.