Sometime during our childhoods, we all heard something from our parents or grandparents along the lines of “Patience is a virtue” or “Good things come to those who wait.”

Recent developments in downtown Fort Dodge give some more credence to that wisdom, and suggest that all of us ought to show some patience as other big projects in the community unfold, even if they progress at a rate much slower than what we hoped for.

The Laramar Ballroom and Second Avenue Rowhome projects downtown show what can be accomplished .

The Laramar Ballroom at 710 First Ave. N. sat empty for so long that it’s fair to say many folks forgot all about the place. The new owners, Laramar Acquisition Co. LLC, didn’t forget about it. After years of vacancy followed by a year of hard work by the new owners, the place has gone from forgotten to something that could only be described in one word as “Wow!” We are eager to see what kinds of events will be held there.

The Second Avenue Rowhomes on Second Avenue South between Ninth and 10th streets is another example of something good happening after a long wait. A city parking lot once occupied the spot. It didn’t get much use in recent years, and the pavement was going to pieces. There was one previous plan to build housing there that didn’t come to fruition. Now there is a new plan from a different company and work is underway. The end result will be 32 new homes downtown that will be ready for occupancy next year.

Having seen that patience pays off, it would be good for all of us to apply that lesson to other projects.

We’re guessing that even the developers wish Corridor Plaza would come together faster than it has. The small mountain of crushed concrete there shows that work is being done. If we can all be patient for just a bit longer, we will be rewarded with new businesses and a nice outdoor plaza there.

Veterans Bridge on First Avenue South will reopen, and the paving crews will get their work done. We just all need to be patient and show some courtesy to the workers doing all these projects.