Rowan County commissioners aren’t sure the county needs an additional sports complex, but they’d like to find out. So on Monday they heard presentations from firms vying to conduct a feasibility study on the topic.

Separately, the board has hired a firm to develop a new master plan for the county’s park system. The county’s current plan is outdated.

It will be interesting to see where all this exploration goes. Rowan County has some excellent parks and a population that’s increasingly interested in youth sports and outdoor activities. While separate firms will be working on these studies and plans, the end results could be related in that they might both help build a better Rowan.

If there’s been a huge outcry for more sports complexes here, we’ve missed it. An informal poll on the Post’s website this fall found lukewarm interest in the topic. But Rowan County is wise to look at initiatives that could both improve local quality of life and work as economic development tools.

For example, according to the Greenville News in South Carolina, seven youth soccer tournaments were held in 2013 at a soccer complex built there with hospitality tax revenue. The events attracted  1,054 teams and 69,311 visitors to the field, the paper reported, including more than 10,000 people from outside Greenville County. The economic impact for the year was estimated at more than $2.65 million.

Could Rowan tackle a  project like that and make it work? Would the local population support it? A feasibility study could address those questions.

The city of Kannapolis’ search for a downtown game changer comes to mind. Recommended anchors include a baseball stadium, a performing arts center and a children’s museum. Consultants also recommend an office building, retail and residential space. The city is being proactive in building a new community to replace the one Pillowtex left behind when it closed.

In some ways, Rowan County was left behind by the demise the textile industry. The economy is finally picking up, though. We could be nearing a time when Rowan is ready to reinvest in the community with projects related to sports and parks. Improving education is the community’s biggest need — boosting outcomes for a student population that has an inordinate amount of need. At the same time, commissioners have to look at the big picture and see where else being proactive on their part could reap rewards. Reacting to what comes is not enough. Voters expect them to make things happen.