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If you flashback a few years, anyone from Troup County remembers the debate that waged over the new gymnasiums at LaGrange High School and Troup High School.

A different school board — with some different members than we have now— was in place then and faced a difficult decision on how to move forward. The cost of the gymnasiums had gone up in price — seemingly several times — and the community was split on whether they should be built. So was the board.

Well, last weekend’s wrestling sectionals at Troup High was part of the end result of building the facilities. Hundreds upon hundreds of people and students from all over the state came to LaGrange for that tournament.  Sitting here a few days after, it’s hard to know what the financial impact all of those people coming to our city meant. But we do know hotels were filled, restaurants got business, and so did convenience stores.

That’s a good thing for our community overall. The gymnasiums were costly, and there’s no doubt about that. But if tournaments like this are held regularly, we wonder how much it’ll all be worth it in the end. Based on the reaction of visiting teams, it’s clear the new facility at THS was very impressive. Now, let’s figure out a way to keep folks coming back again, again and again, on top of the daily use by our local students. In the end, that would make the cost all worthwhile and then some.