A year of progress

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It may not always have felt like it, but 2021 was a year of progress for our little corner of northwest Missouri

Yes, COVID-19 continues to ravage our everyday lives and shape them in ways we couldn’t have predicted a year ago. But although numbers have been generally rising and our schools especially have faced new, difficult challenges stemming from the effects of the pandemic, we are better off than we were a year ago in our struggle with the virus.

Nearly half of Nodaway County residents have been vaccinated, which is a tremendous step toward stopping anymore of our neighbors and loved ones from becoming seriously ill or dying from COVID-19. Hopefully 2022 will see even more gains in that department.

Looking elsewhere across the happenings of 2021, it’s hard not to be proud of how we have begun to bounce back from a bleak 2020. Our small businesses are beginning to thrive in new, creative ways, so much so that the problem has become the availability of labor instead of customers.

And looking forward, we’re confident 2021 will prove to be a strong foundation from which we began initiatives that will transform the look and feel of Maryville and Nodaway County.

An abundance of federal funds have been put to good use so far with the long-awaited start of the South Main Corridor Improvement Project and the beginnings of building a water infrastructure system that will last us for decades to come.

Thanks to a cohesive vision, grant money and more use of American Rescue Plan funds, our parks are on the verge of a renaissance, rebuilt and retooled with the future of our community in mind.

It was not always enjoyable, and frequently painful, but no matter where you look in our community, you don’t have to squint hard to see the beginnings of something special.

Here’s to a happy new year and an even better 2022.