In the April 1-2 weekend edition of the Daily News, area leaders discussed Beaufort County’s stagnant population.

Well, some people are doing something about that. They’re trying to attract retirees to the area.

On Wednesday, the Washington-Beaufort County Chamber of Commerce announced Washington is a certified community in the Retire NC program. Earning that certification took 10 months of hard work, said Catherine Glover, the Chamber’s executive director.

“We have been ready for this day since we sent in the application. Our marketing pieces have been printed, the final touches on the website are done, and we are ready to welcome retirees to Beaufort County and show them why we choose to call Washington and Beaufort County home, and why they should as well,” Glover said. “You can look for great things to come.”

Washington’s City Council deserves commendation for contributing $2,000 toward the estimated $25,000 cost to have Washington certified as a Retire NC community. Other entities also provided financial support for the certification process. That’s a good investment, one that should pay dividends in coming months and years.

Also deserving of commendation are Glover and others who recognized that the Retire NC program could benefit the city and county and decided to pursue participation and certification in the Retire NC program.

Retire NC is a certification program designed to attract retirees to the state. Under the program, retirees looking at moving to this state may identify communities that offer certain amenities retirees look for — easy access to health care and quality-of-life issues such as recreational and cultural opportunities. Washington will now be one of the cities featured on the Retire NC website.

Glover noted that when the committee submitted the application to have Washington certified as a Retire NC community, at least 15 letters of support came from community organizations, indicating “the community really wanted this to happen.” Based on the organizations and others who supported the certification effort, she’s correct.

Retire NC is not the only way to help grow the area’s population, but it’s one approach that can help achieve that growth. For such a small cost, it’s a program that could bring about an amazing return on the investment made by local leaders.