So much focus has been on what we don’t have in Dayton- yet, we take for granted what we have all the time. I just got back from a five mile run on the bikeway, going past Garden Station, Deeds Point, Kettering Fields, the Canoe Club,  Island Park and Riverscape. It was a beautiful day for a run. It was a good day for day-dreaming of what we could have.

If you’ve read my posts about Sportsplex, you know I envision a huge rec-center, outdoor sports HQ extending over from Kettering Fields on the land formerly occupied by Parkside homes. But, that’s a tens-of-millions proposition. For now, we should at least considering converting the land to soccer/football fields as a way to bring more people down to this beautiful area. Think Delco Park in Kettering as a model. With people come opportunities for selling food, sporting goods, daycare etc.

However, the problem still, and always will be the same- with every additional person coming down to the area, comes a car. Cars require gas, cars require parking spaces. Parking lots are expensive. They are the reason that skyscrapers aren’t being built in Dayton anymore- with each cubicle comes the requirement of a parking space. Think about it.

This is why we would see instant transformation, especially of “summer spaces” like Kettering Fields, if we had a fleet of easy access bicycles available for shuttling people from parking to playing fields- and from playing fields to fast food (up Keowee, downtown). By building on the strengths of our bike paths already in place, and adding bicycles- we’ve changed everything.

B-Cycle is a relatively inexpensive addition to our community. For less than the naming rights of the Dragons’ field, or a few high school football fields. A major player like Premier Health Partners, Kettering Health Network, DP&L or the like, could transform the city – and give themselves an amazing advertising vehicle (pun intended) to spread their message about the kind of community we have- and the kind we want to have.

I made a presentation at the LexisNexis World Usability Day event on Thursday. The theme was sustainability. When you consider how much pollution a car spews in just a short 4-mile trip (which is what a majority of our trips end up being) or that the car is the second highest expense in most households, adding bicycles everywhere could make a huge impact.

I’m on a whirlwind mission to get this launched, at least in demonstration mode with a limited installation, by next July. If you are interested in helping make this happen, please let me know.

If your name is Randy Gunlock, and you have a private ice rink in your back yard, the County bends over backwards to kiss your butt and try to hand you money for a hockey stadium at Austin Road. They even try to sneak a tax increase through on the hotel tax just to back your dream.

If you’re J. R. Erwin, and have been busting your butt for several years putting together a plan very similar to my “Sportsplex” concept- you barely get a return phone call.

J.R. called me yesterday and gave me some background and links to this site that describes his dream. It’s a big dream, and would probably bring more sports tourism business to the area than we’re ready for. But, if you don’t swing for the fences, why play the game at all?

The Dream Sports Arenas cater to the needs of youth “Select” sports. The Dream will produce over 891,500 square feet, “under roof” of “paradise” for every family. The Dream will be the largest “Select” youth sports facility in the U.S.A. and overseas.

via Dream Sports Arena.

I’ll be getting a copy of the business plan tomorrow. I’ve also contacted Montgomery County Commissioner Dan Foley on J. R.’s behalf and talked to Dayton Daily News sports columnist supreme, Tom Archdeacon about it.

Maybe we can at least give JR a soapbox and see if we can put some heads together to see what’s possible. My first choice location is the Parkside homes site- which would dovetail well with Kettering Fields, Island Park and the new Kroc Center. With great highway visibility and access, and a central location it would do a lot to strengthen the urban core. Another location that might work would be the former truck and bus plant- since we can’t seem to explain to GM that we should still be able to build vehicles in that plant- since we helped fund parts of it.

The big question is why can’t we discuss ideas in public, why can’t we talk about big “what if” type ideas, and why can’t we try to swing for the fences?