In an editorial Thursday on a legislative breakfast held this week by the Butler County Growth Collaborative (BCGC) and Butler County Chamber of Commerce, we agreed with the keynote speaker’s assertion that hiring locally could make the county an economic powerhouse.

But the event’s discussion also centered on areas of focus to promote growth in Butler County.

Community leaders said the county has identified seven areas of focus to allow for sustainable growth: education and employment, environment and agriculture, health care, infrastructure, transportation, housing and hospitality.

The county’s chief of economic development and planning noted the areas of focus “cannot be done in isolation” — and he’s correct.

In some of these areas, the county has been thriving — such as employment (Butler County’s unemployment rate is low) and hospitality (county leaders have touted drawing the 2024 Can-Am Police-Fire Games).

In other areas, some improvement could go a long way toward helping the county to achieve its goals.

County commissioner Kim Geyer pointed out that infrastructure is among the most important.

While the county has made great strides in some areas — for example, the massive MSA Thruway project to alleviate traffic congestion at Route 228 and Interstate 79 — it could use work in other areas — a number of county roads and bridges still need to be repaired. It’s more dire in other areas, such as the need for solutions to combat the devastating flooding that has plagued the county.

Transportation is another area where improvement is needed, especially for portions of northern Butler County, where there aren’t many transportation options.

Other challenges the county is facing — but do not necessarily fit into the seven aforementioned areas of focus — include the ongoing battle against the opioid crisis and a lack of places for residents to purchase food following the loss of four major grocery stores, which has further pushed the county toward a “food desert” status.

At BCGC’s event, Butler County was observed to be undergoing a “renaissance.” With the amount of new festivals and events popping up each year, a solid economic outlook and major projects underway, we believe this is a fair assertion.

That being said, there’s work to be done. We agree with the areas of focus outlined by county leaders at the BCGC event — and hope that others mentioned here are prioritized — and wish them luck in helping the county to fulfill its potential.