With the development and population growth being experienced by Jackson Township, the board of supervisors took the right step in establishing a parks and recreation board to help plan and oversee future recreational needs.

Although the township currently does not operate or manage any recreational facilities, the municipality has bought about 50 acres off Toll Gate Road for recreational use. Meanwhile, a developer has offered to donate land for ballfields near Creekside Plaza, which is under construction off Route 19.

The new board, which will consist of five members yet to be appointed, will have six months to set up a meeting schedule and write bylaws, which will go before the supervisors for approval.

The fact that the township does not yet operate or manage any recreational assets will give the new board plenty of "breathing room" in terms of getting off to a good start.

The growth being experienced in Jackson is a logical progression from Cranberry Township's decades of growth, and growth will continue to move northward and eastward.

Jackson officials' entry into the recreation issue shows they are cognizant that growth involves more than infrastructure issues, and that realization stands to benefit longtime, as well as new, residents.