Labor Day is an appropriate time to recognize the value of hard work and the sacrifices of those who have made our working conditions better. For Lawrence, it also is a good time to remember that we still have work to do.

A recent set of numbers comparing Lawrence wages with those in Kansas City and other communities also provides that reminder. As the Journal-World reported, wages in Lawrence generally are about 15 percent less than they are in Kansas City, and in some professions are dramatically lower.

Longtime residents of Lawrence or recent job seekers are not surprised. Lawrence and Kansas City are different communities and always will be. Lawrence’s status as a university community will affect Lawrence wages, but we should not settle for becoming a low-wage community. The best university communities in the country have used their stockpiles of knowledge to produce industries with high-paying and vibrant jobs. Some of those communities simply have lucked into that position, while others have done so through a specific vision and execution.

Lawrence can continue to hope for good luck, but community leaders need to craft a vision that sets Lawrence apart from others. There have been on-again, off-again efforts to create a vision for the community, but often the results have been lacking. Often we end up with statements that sound like a set of nonspecific aspirations many communities have.

Lawrence needs to create a plan on how it can set itself apart from other communities. Perhaps a better way to think of this is: What do we want to be a leader in?

One of the bright spots in the recent report on wages is that Lawrence professionals in the architecture and engineering fields are paid well compared to other communities. Perhaps Lawrence should strive to be the Creative Capital of the Great Plains, defined by attracting architecture, engineering, graphic artist, software development and other such firms that rely on creative capital. Such a mission would help our leaders understand how to allocate limited resources. More money would be set aside for incentives to attract such firms rather than to provide incentives for hotels, apartments and the like.

Conversely, perhaps Lawrence wants to become the Tourist Capital of Kansas. The community already has made significant public investments in Rock Chalk Park, the DeBruce Center and the rules of basketball are a notable draw, and the community has added nice, new lodging facilities. We could invest accordingly.

Or yet another possibility is that Lawrence wants to simply expand upon what we have done well for a long time: serving as an education community. Maybe Douglas County wants to be the Education Center of Middle America. We already have three universities. Perhaps our economic development efforts ought to be directed in making all three of them larger in enrollment and broader in reach. Maybe the incentives we provide ought to be to university growth initiatives.

Those are just three examples. None of them may be the correct course. The goal today is not to figure out what our strategy should be, but to commit to creating one. We need to focus our resources on ambitious yet attainable goals. The vision needs to be clear enough that leaders can execute it, and that the public can measure their success.

Our vision has to be something more than saying we want to be a great place. If we don’t create a specific plan, we will have more Labor Days where the fruits of our labor are less than they could be.