The road to HorseThief Reservoir has been anything but smooth.

An idea hatched more than 30 years ago, plans for the reservoir and recreation area near Jetmore gained steam in the mid-1980s, when the Pawnee Watershed District hired engineers to study a site on Buckner Creek for the reservoir.

And when the plan for a 450-acre lake and 1,100-acre recreation area eventually was presented to voters in 2005, critics questioned whether such a project was possible in a drought-stricken part of the world -- even though extensive studies of drainage, Buckner Creek flow and land-use practices showed it was with average rainfall.

Critics also questioned asking residents of Finney, Ford, Gray and Hodgeman counties to support a .15 percent sales tax to help fund the project.

Yet voters who rightly acknowledged the value of new recreational opportunities, enhanced quality of life and economic benefits such a project would deliver prevailed at the polls.

A more recent flap centered on qualifications to bid on the dam project, to include completion of two previous dam projects. That left Kansas contractors out of that mix, sparking a number of protests and eventual shift to pre-qualifications Kansas firms could meet.

Max Jantz Excavating of Montezuma went on to be low bidder at just less than $14.4 million for the dam portion, and is set to begin construction in May. The scheduled completion date is November 2009, although Jantz is hopeful the job can be wrapped up two to three months sooner.

On Saturday, with more than 100 people gathered for a groundbreaking ceremony, supporters reflected on the road to the long-awaited project, and spoke of the patience and passion needed to promote a new recreational area in southwest Kansas.

They also touched on persistence -- arguably the most notable characteristic shown by the folks who wanted to create a recreational facility that makes the area more appealing to residents, visitors and those considering a move to the area.

While much work remains, we can expect the determination that's been a hallmark so far to pay off in a development that may have been controversial, but once completed promises to deliver a number of benefits easy for all to embrace.