Cooperation is paying off

It's been a tough lesson to learn, but the towns and cities of the Great Plains are getting along a lot better than they used to.

The reasons, which become more apparent with each passing year, are our communities' interdependence and their record of success when towns, and regions, work together.

This week, for example, Southwest Nebraska is celebrating the opening of the massive new Wal-Mart Distribution Center in North Platte. The people of the area do not seem envious or mad as they might have been in times gone by. Now, it seems, feelings are just the opposite. Residents of the entire area are glad because the distribution center is not only an economic uplift for North Platte, it is a benefit for the communities to the south as well.

The newly recognized advantage stems from the fact that -- although North Platte is more than an hour away from most area towns -- it is still close enough to provide employment opportunities.

"We had more than 50 people pick up applications in McCook for the distribution center in North Platte," said Don Hopkins, manager of the local Work Force Development office. In addition, Hopkins said a number of CDL license holders expressed interest in the driving opportunities offered through the Wal-Mart Center's transportation contractor, Crete Carriers Corp.

Several area truckers have followed through, in some cases buying tractor transport units to hook up on a regular basis with Crete Carriers and Wal-Mart.

What all this activity shows is that, on a regional basis, we're in this together. Yes, competitive situations still exist in business and banking, but in many realms of endeavor it pays to cooperate.

One recent case was the statewide competition for the new state prison. When it became apparent that North Platte was not among the top choices, the Lincoln County community threw its support behind McCook's bid. Although not successful -- because of an unfortunate case of eastern Nebraska political intervention -- McCook ended up later getting the Work Ethic Camp.

And, now -- with a battle raging to save the work camp -- North Platte's leaders have again interceded on McCook's behalf, working through State Sen. Don Pederson of North Platte to win support for the camp in the Appropriations Committee of the Nebraska Legislature.

In the community college district, which McCook and North Platte share, there have been strained relationships for the past 30 years. Hopefully, that, too, is changing. The McCook Community College name has been restored, and, now, the college area's new president, Dr. Michael Chipps, has an opportunity to show the staff, students and supporters of MCC that he is committed to full and fair development of the programs here.

Old-time rivalries are diminishing. That does not mean we should not stand up for ourselves, and fight for fairness when abuses occur. But it does mean, in many important endeavors, that neighboring towns are better off working together, than they are griping and going their separate ways.