What on earth was the Yankton City Commission thinking Monday night when it designated a five-acre strip of commercial land at the corner of West City Limits Road and Highway 50 as a technology park for industrial development?

Well, here's one answer: The future.

And here, probably, is another: The past.

The proposed designation is a good one. The move can potentially reap considerable benefits for the community simply by assigning land for specific development. In this case, it sets aside a parcel of land that can be developed for high-tech industries. This designation will pave the way for compatible infrastructure and promote a clustering effect that may help attract other businesses to the community.

In other words, this is a very progressive marketing move by our city commissioners. Since high-tech businesses probably aren't going away anytime in the near or distant future, this designation might be viewed as a welcoming mat for such industries to this community.

But what was also striking about Monday's discussion, however, was a comment by interim Economic Development Director Ron Kraft. He noted that a number of high-tech industries had investigated Yankton in recent months about possible relocation.

That says one thing that is very important: Yankton is at least drawing some interest from these businesses. Eventually, one of them may well decide to set up shop here, and that will send a signal to others.

What is less clear is whether that gives us some insight into the recent inquiry by a large software developer that had checked out Yankton as a possible new home. The company instead opted to base its operations - and more than 200 jobs - in Pierre. Was the lack of something like a high-tech industrial park one of the things that ultimately worked against Yankton? We don't know, frankly. What we do know is that Pierre landed an industry that may create 200 jobs, and Yankton didn't.

Yankton has the makings of being a great site for high-tech expansion. According to discussions at Monday's City Commission meeting, the city already has some significant technological infrastructure, which makes this community very attractive to high-tech developers. Also, Yankton's location - being a little more than an hour away from Sioux Falls and Sioux City, and about three hours away from Omaha - make it very accessible and attractive.

But such development won't happen on its own; there must be some proactive progress made within this community to facilitate these possibilities.

Monday's decision was a step - actually, several steps - in the right direction. And that direction is forward into the future and all the possibilities it contains.

kmh