A plan to build a new community center for residents of Blackmon Road is far from a sure thing. But the involvement of the York County Council, the Catawba Regional Council of Governments and several area churches offers real hope that something finally will be done for this distressed community.

County Council members voted recently to apply for a $500,000 grant to build a community center in the neighborhood where residents are impoverished and living in substandard conditions, often without plumbing or other necessities. The grant will be submitted through the COG, and members of several local churches are compiling the data about residents required for the application.

The Blackmon Road community, highlighted recently in a prize- winning documentary in The Herald, is among the poorest in the county. Some residents live in abandoned buses; others, in ramshackle tarpaper huts. Residents have few sources of clean drinking water, toilets or showers. Many are alcoholics or are suffering from a variety of other maladies.

Although this neighborhood is less than two miles from Rock Hills City Hall, it falls into something of a no-mans land, served by neither the city nor the county. That has been a source of frustration for those who would like to see conditions improve there. Now, thankfully, the county has taken a leading role in seeking a solution.

A community center is a common-sense answer. While it doesnt address the individual needs of each household, it would provide a common area where residents could avail themselves of basic necessities.

The center would provide bath and laundry facilities, food, clothing and furniture. It also would feature educational services, job training, counseling and drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

Younger residents would have access to a basketball court and other recreational programs. And the center would provide space for community and religious meetings.

Grazier Rhea, community development director for COG, notes that competition for grant money is stiff. Only one of six proposals from this region received funding last year, and only 12 programs statewide were awarded grants.

Even if the funding comes through, a program must be devised to maintain and staff the center. This could include support by local government and a coalition of private groups, including churches, and, of course, ministers who have been involved in the community for years.

But despite the long odds for grant money, this is a promising start toward helping these needy people. This may be the largest number of people and organizations ever assembled to address the needs of Blackmon Road residents.

Whatever the outcome of this particular grant application, it appears the community is committed to finding a solution to a problem that has lingered too long already.

A plan to build a new community center for residents of Blackmon Road is far from a sure thing. But the involvement of the York County Council, the Catawba Regional Council of Governments and several area churches offers real hope that something finally will be done for this distressed community.

The Blackmon Road community, highlighted recently in a prize- winning documentary in The Herald, is among the poorest in the county. Some residents live in abandoned buses; others, in ramshackle tarpaper huts. Residents have few sources of clean drinking water, toilets or showers. Many are alcoholics or are suffering from a variety of other maladies.

Despite the long odds for grant money, this is a promising start toward helping these needy people. This may be the largest number of people and organizations ever assembled to address the needs of Blackmon Road residents.