Opportunity knocks for all Romans, or does it?

et’s just go ahead and get this out of the way. My child is graduating from Rome High School on Saturday, and I’m a bit of a mess.

I can’t believe how much our lives are about to change, so I cling to each of these last moments of normalcy as if they are pure gold. But, honestly, that’s because they truly are. Sigh. As I watch these promising young people prepare to move on to new and exciting adventures, I look forward to seeing how their lives will unfold and can’t help but guess at how each of them might bring their skills and talents to the “worker bee” table of Rome in the future.

If you are on social media, you’ve been seeing the television news piece about how Rome is growing and developing most promisingly. They didn’t need to tell me that. I’ve been noticing for some time Rome is on fire with new projects as one new opportunity after another pops up on the radar.

I’ve lived here for over 30 years and I remember the ebb and flow of downtown that has occurred in that time. Remember when there were no trees on Broad Street, much less beautifully crocheted sleeves and twinkly lights?

The story mentions that we are at 98 percent occupancy in downtown storefronts, up from 75 percent, five years ago. This is truly a thrilling achievement, but not surprising for all of us who have been here for the tiny steps of development that have gotten us here, am I right? I believe there was a time in my tenure as a Roman when it was below 50 percent occupancy downtown. The process has been kind of like watching our children grow and develop into the young adults they are today. Sigh. I live in South Rome, so I was especially interested in the details in the news piece about the changes that are occurring in that area. The affordable housing developments on South Broad hold real potential and I look forward to seeing those completed and watching the tiny steps of development as young families move in and bring renewed energy to the south side of the rivers.

The assistance and opportunities awarded through this project really are the exact formula it takes to help young people and young families take that critical step up to home ownership, along with the help and training they need to maintain a lifestyle of saving and building equity. I like knowing that we as a community are paying attention to such issues. They will be stronger citizens thanks to the opportunity.

For all of the great things that I see happening in Rome, however, there has been a looming projection from Harvard’s Chetty-Hendren Study stuck in my mind since its release in 2015.

The point of the study was to look at counties across the country and determine the ability of a child born there to match, exceed or fall below their parents’ annual income.

What is interesting about this particular study is that it looks very specifically at kids of each gender from four income brackets in each county. Floyd County does not fair well in this study, unfortunately.

In Floyd County, a child growing up in a poor family is predicted to make $2,850 less than his or her parents at the age of 26. If you break out just girls growing up in a poor family, it is even worse at $3,120. Kids in the top one percent fair best, but barely exceed their parents, either.

The indicator that I find most concerning, however, is how Floyd fairs in a comparison to Bartow, Chattooga, Cherokee, Gordon, Murray, Polk and Whitfield counties. In eight categories that break out girls and boys in each of the four economic brackets, Floyd County comes in last in all but two categories. Let that sink in.

While it is true that the national trend is downward on these numbers, there are many counties in the country, mostly in the upper Midwest, for which they predict greater success. What are these counties getting right that we are not?

I am thrilled by the success we are seeing in Rome, and want to see that trend continue in a way that is beneficial for all of our citizens. What does that look like?

We need more good paying jobs and we can’t rely on a connector that has been pushed out to 2036 at best. How can we continue and expand our upward trend in our current climate? Let’s put our minds together and figure out how we get Rome and Floyd County into positive future income numbers; not only for our children, but for all of us. GUEST COLUMNIST Jim Powell of Young Harris