The sense of unease is palpable among city leaders with whom I speak on occasion.

The city’s unemployment rate has inched to its highest level in almost two decades. Although the national economy has shown a faint pulse, the prognosis for recovery remains sketchy at best and grim at worst, at least for the time being. Some say perhaps a turnaround will begin late this year; others say that is optimistic to the point of delusion.

So kindling excitement about the topic of downtown revitalization, the focus of the River City 2020 economic visioning board, is like trying to spark a notion in my head that my beloved Pittsburgh Pirates will somehow avoid another losing season.

Still, after meeting this afternoon with Chris Graham, one of our River City 2020 board members, I’m hopeful that our group can craft an approach that will lead to a revitalized Waynesboro. The details will be rolled out at our meeting March 28, when we’ll gather feedback from the rest of the board. So I’ll hold off on discussing it further.

Suffice it to say, we recognize that the imperative remains to push for economic development in Waynesboro, not in spite of the current climate but because of it.

We are confident that brighter days will come. It’s up to all of us to ensure that when those days arrive, we are ready with a robust plan for growth that will help our city prosper for generations to come.