The great pergola debate continues.

Wednesday night a group presented a petition calling for the removal of the pergola from the village center, and a presentation of the reasons for its removal. We certainly respect their right to petition, and to ask the town to consider their request.

However, this newspaper stands behind our earlier support of the pergola. In fact, we are more emphatically in support of it now, after seeing the completed park and having had an opportunity to enjoy some summer weather, albeit brief, strolling through the park and taking in the village from a new perspective.

Don’t get us wrong. We know and respect the people who presented opinions to the selectboard on Wednesday evening. We understand they rightfully feel they have the best interest of the community in mind. They are entitled to their opinions, and to present them in a public forum.

However, we ask again, why can’t citizens in Wilmington channel some of this energy into positive accomplishments? It seems the greatest energy is expended only when someone doesn’t like something. We are constantly bewildered at this, and we see it time and again in town after town.

We are amazed at the energy and time spent by members of the community when there is something seen as undesirable.

So we say, let’s not stop here. There are many things that need to be addressed in Wilmington. Too many times we’ve seen those who rail against one thing or another disappear into the background once they’ve had their say. Just once we’d like to see that energy continue in a positive way.

We challenge the people who brought forward the petition, pergola removed or not, to continue to challenge the town to improve the village and the town as a whole.

Here are a few village improvement petitions we’d love to see presented to the town for consideration:

1. Downtown parking lots. This is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. The fact that no concerted, focused effort has solved this problem over the past 30 years is a black eye on the entire community. It’s time to get off the fence and deal with this problem. Put the pressure on, set a timeline, allocate the funds, and get on with it.

2. While we’re at it, let’s include the River Walk as part of the project. Plans have been on the drawing board and in the town plan for at least a decade. That would be a wonderful addition to the town. That sort of community investment will pay for itself many times over. Just look at what the Bank Park did for the property next to it. It encouraged an entrepreneur to purchase the building, paint and renovate it, and open a new real estate agency in the village.

3. Encourage painting and repair of buildings. Let’s be honest here. Whether one likes the pergola or not, it boils down to a matter of aesthetics. There are many true eyesores in the community that could use some help. Start a community low- or no-interest loan program to encourage property owners to fix up and repair their properties. We assume, with the billions in stimulus money floating around the country, there are programs out there for just such things. Even if there are not, work with SBA lenders or economic development agencies to find funds.

4. Downtown traffic. The bypass is dead, but the traffic problems continue to live on. Where is the effort, the outrage, to deal with this?

It’s not enough to just say no. Too many worthwhile projects have fallen into the waste bin of recent history because someone says no. We need to pull our heads out of the sand, stop wasting our time creating issues of minor importance, and deal with the those that truly affect the long-term viability of Wilmington, and the greater community as a whole.