The addition of Saturday concerts in downtown Warren is an idea worth considering.

City Council member Wendy McCain spoke in favor of the idea while Mayor Dave Wortman also signaled his interest in Saturday concerts that could take place in addition to the existing Music in the Park concert series.

The idea is still in the early stages of discussion by the Comprehensive Plan Task Force. Additional music or other activities that bring people downtown are important to increase the sense of vitality of downtown Warren. The more people downtown, the better.

So the real question isn’t if the concerts are a good idea, in our opinion, but who pays for them and who does the necessary background work to get the concerts up and running in time for summer.

Downtown businesses sound as if they are in favor of the concerts for the increased foot traffic they bring. It would make sense, then, that businesses play a role in helping pay for the concerts if businesses want the concerts to continue in the long run.

That could happen through the Warren County Chamber of Business and Industry or outside of the chamber. It could be a cash contribution or businesses taking the lead to secure sponsorships. But in our opinion it’s important for businesses to have some skin in the game. Businesses who are on the hook for some of the cost of additional concerts are more likely to do all they can to capitalize on the foot traffic downtown during concerts.

Additional concerts are a good first step – but we hope the Comprehensive Plan task force is looking at other ways to get people downtown more regularly on the weekends beyond concerts.