Times change, needs change, leaders change, community visions change, attitudes change, and priorities and objectives change. That is what Blair County is experiencing regarding the somewhat controversial effort underway to designate a new tourism and promotion group to replace Explore Altoona, which is being replaced after more than a decade of service.

Change is good if it produces the sought-after positive results.

Change is good if the planning that went into it looks into the future as well as dealing with the present.

Change is good if it is rooted firmly in enhancing the overall good rather than a few special interests and/or selfish interests.

Change is good if proponents of it remain open to visions and alterations that build positively on initial ideas to create a better overall mission or product.

Those committed to working on “Life after Explore Altoona” need to reflect on all of the points above as well as others that might arise in the weeks ahead before declaring “Work Completed.”

The fact that the proposed change is not being met with unanimous acceptance is another reason why leaders of the effort need to have available carefully thought-out paths to flexibility to accommodate differences of opinion that might surface along the way.

Meanwhile, almost certainly there will be fears that the newly formed entity will be unfair in prioritizing its various responsibilities, such as putting Altoona first too often while not listening to the concerns of others outside the city.

Hints of such concern were evident when county Commissioner Dave Kessling attended a meeting of the Tyrone Area Chamber of Commerce on Sept. 19 and fielded a variety of questions about what is being proposed on the tourism front.

Tyrone Chamber President Diane Irwin spoke about how Explore Altoona has been beneficial to her organization’s and area’s priorities and commented “I’d hate to see Explore Altoona go (away).”

She referred to a potential “pothole” in the still-evolving planning process when she pointed out that her organization was lacking details about what was transpiring in the transition away from Explore Altoona.

What seems certain at this juncture is that none of the concerns voiced to date seem beyond relatively quick resolution, if the commitment exists to “get everyone on the same page.”

Under the plan that is in the works, tourism and promotion would be assigned to the Blair Alliance for Business and Economic Growth, the organization formed through the merger of Altoona Blair County Development Corp. and the Blair County Chamber of Commerce — a combined entity harboring much talent and determination on behalf of Blair County’s overall well-being.

ABCD Corp. President and CEO Stephen McKnight said on Sept. 20 that his organization’s task apparently will involve charting a course for an updated visitor attraction strategy with outdoor recreation asset development being a central theme.

Kessling told Tyrone Chamber members on Sept. 19 that Explore Altoona focuses on marketing and that, under the proposed change, the goal is to have an organization that will handle asset development as well as marketing.

But representatives of Explore Altoona have predicted serious repercussions for the local economy if the commissioners do in fact finalize decertification of Explore Altoona.

Probably the biggest remaining question now is whether there was enough open, public discussion about what all is being planned — and why — before the situation arrived at the point where it currently resides.