Those who read Sunday’s article about a June 13 Community Development Corporation of Butler County bus tour of sites developed or under development by the CDC and its partners could not help being impressed by what the CDC has accomplished since its founding in 1959.

And, if the economy were in better shape, the CDC no doubt would have a number of additional success stories about which it and county residents could be proud.

The CDC has made its operation more challenging from the standpoint of both finances and marketing because it chose to build “spec buildings” at a time when the economy was struggling or in serious trouble. It has had fewer serious prospects for those buildings than presumably would have existed amid a stronger, more vibrant economy.

But there’s a positive aspect to that unfortunate, challenging situation: The CDC is well-positioned for the time when the economy does improve — and it will improve.

Beyond the condition of the economy, some areas of the county, including the city of Butler, must contend with substandard roadways that discourage businesses from locating there.

The city and its environs are not tied directly to the interstate highway system by a four-lane, limited-access roadway and that no doubt works to the area’s disadvantage.

Businesses and industries, when considering areas in which to relocate or expand, regard highway access as a critical consideration. That’s why Cranberry has a big edge over the city; it’s not time-efficient or easy to get to the city from any direction, while Cranberry is strategically located at a crossroads of major highways.

Too bad the city never has had the political clout to achieve the kind of significant results needed on the transportation front. To prosper from a business standpoint, a community needs speedy access to those to whom it supplies products and services.

Despite the county having so many inadequate roads working against attracting additional big employers, the CDC has achieved major successes, such as the East Butler Industrial Park and the Victory Road and Kreiss Road business parks. Its accomplishments so far in the Hollywood Drive area also are impressive.

Sunday’s article left many residents in and around the city wondering what the CDC, based on what it already has accomplished, could do if a strong economy and modern highway infrastructure were in place.

“It’s pretty impressive when you see all the things we’ve been involved with through CDC, the jobs created and development,” said Ken Raybuck, CDC executive director, during the bus tour.

The bus tour was a reinforcement regarding the past, but it also was a basis for optimism about the future.