Some things seem destined for success even when they are little more than an idea.

We are beginning to see the Dr. John “Jack” Kaye Cretaceous Fossil Park in such a light.

While the fossil park located on the banks of the Luxapalila Creek near Propst Park is still in the development phase, it already has what every good project must: someone to champion the project.

In this case, the proposed fossil park has more than one.

While the area has long been known for its abundance of fossils, it wasn’t until about 10 years ago that

Columbus historian Rufus Ward and George Phillips, a Columbus native who is the paleontology curator at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, suggested establishing a fossil park at the site.

The two were instrumental in giving the fossil park its name. Kaye taught geology and earth science at both Mississippi State University and Mississippi University for Women and was among the first to authenticate dinosaur fossils along the Lux. Many of those finds are displayed in various museums.

The fossil park has been embraced by the city of Columbus which sees this as an opportunity for a public-private partnership.

Without question, the person who has driven the project to this point has been the city’s grant coordinator Susan Wilder who has raised funds and applied for grants for what is expected to be a $700,000 project. The city hopes to reach an agreement with the Tupelo-based CREATE Foundation to serve as the fiscal agent for fossil park grants.

Promotional and marketing efforts are under way as well. This week, the fossil park committee received a cast-resin sculpture made by Georgia artist and retired educator Rick Spears, who was intrigued about the park’s possibilities after seeing a post on Facebook in April. Spears selected a baby ornithomimosaur as the model for the 18-inch tall sculpture. The committee plans to raffle the dinosaur it calls, “Luxi” to raise funds for the project Wilder said during a city council work session Thursday at City Hall she hopes the raffle will raise at least $10,000 for the fossil park, setting a goal to sell at least 2,000 tickets at $5 each. Tickets can be purchased at Main Street Columbus’ office, Columbus Arts Council, Friendly City Books and other downtown locations.

Luxi gives the park a mascot that is sure to appeal to the public and be a big part of its marketing efforts.

It is yet another example of why we are encouraged about a project that will enhance the city’s tourism efforts. The collaboration we’re seeing gives us every reason to be excited about the project.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.