Instead of being a crown jewel of Dayton- for all to see, and all to use, in a central, highly visible location, building on the strengths of RiverScape, Kettering Fields, Island Park and the coming Kroc Center- SportsPlex is going to be stuffed away in Huber Heights.
It won’t be the central place for kids in Dayton to congregate (away from Third and Main), it won’t have easy RTA access from anywhere, and it won’t contain world class facilities- for swimming, or ice skating/hockey, velodrome, etc.
It’s obvious that this must be a good idea- because it’s being pursued by the private sector in Huber- while instead, the Dayton City Commission is more interested in kissing up to private developers to give us cookie cutter big box and McMansions on prime real estate downtown.
Here is part of the Huber story:
Youth sports complex envisioned in Huber Heights [1]
Several volunteer youth sports organizations are banding together to develop a 114-acre youth sports multiplex in northern Montgomery County.Huber Heights’ Wayne Pee Wee Football Association purchased the land, bounded by Chambersburg, Fishburg, Rip Rap and Endicott roads in 1999 from Martin Marietta Materials for about $300,000.
President Mike Milligan said since that time, the association has looked at several plans and prepared for development. Between fundraisers, bingo proceeds and a mortgage against the land, they have about $305,000 to start.
If that sounds ambitious for a small all-volunteer organization, Milligan said it also represents the demand for youth sports programs.
“They’ve always been around, but it wasn’t near the magnitude or size it is now,” Milligan said. “We’ve been fortunate to have a board that bought into long-term goals and wanted to accomplish something for all our kids, not just their own.”
The proposed plan partners with Wayne Warriors Soccer Club, purchasing 50 acres on land contract, Dayton Metro Youth Basketball Program and Huber Heights Youth Baseball and Little League. Together, they serve about 5,000 children each year.
The biggest obstacle is the cost to improve roads and tap into sewers.
The land is in Dayton and could use wells for a water source. But most of the roadway is in Huber Heights and sewers would have to come from the Tri Cities Wastewater Authority, owned by Huber Heights, Vandalia and Tipp City…
SportsPlex downtown would be a boon to sports tourism, supporting downtown hotels, restaurants, and other shops, in Huber, there aren’t even roads.
It’s time to get serious about what we want downtown and what kind of unique solutions are we prepared to pursue.
This is typical of Dayton – ideas surface and the outer reaches of Montgomery County, IE suburbs, take full advantage by MOVING FORWARD while Dayton spins their wheels. Let’s face the facts, Our leaders in Dayton are losers and can’t get anything done and are scared to get anything done. We are at a point where we may as well try and fail than not try at all.
Is it the leaders or the fact that there are just very few people, in whatever you consider Dayton, that care about this stuff? The suburbs are where the kids with money are and they are the people who have the parental support and activism to make this happen there.
“The biggest obstacle is the cost to improve roads and tap into sewers”
But besides not having roads its perfect….
this is so familiar.. we had the same issues in Norfolk, VA…
crazy. city councils continue to beef over nonsense. and all bow down to corporate powers.
A few things here — this proposal is for a kids’ sports complex. Is there also room in the market (closer to downtown) for a complex targeted to a broader group? And, there is an outdoor sports complex near downtown already, the Gateway complex (just off Rt 4, near Stanley Ave). It’s privately owned but has several recently built baseball diamonds, soccer fields, a driving range and perhaps some indoor sports facilities, I’m not sure. How much is that complex being used? I don’t see the problem with building a facility like that for Northeastern Montgomery County (within the Dayton city limits, actually, according to the article). It wouldn’t preclude development of similar facitlities elsewhere.
Sounds pretty correct to me J.R.
Yea for Huber Heights, HH is accessable to I70 and I75 and would welcome the chance to do good for the community, no matter whether they live in HH or Centerville or any place in between!
There aren’t roads in Huber? As a resident of Huber Heights I am shocked to learn this. You may be right that there are not road to the complex yet. Of course there is good reason for that. They is no complex. I’m sure once it is built they will build a road or two. As for being tucked away in Huber. I assure you that being located at the 70-75 interchange is not exactly a secluded location.
@Brandon- sure there will be roads built. At an additional cost to the taxpayers. That’s how the entire community of Springboro got built- and then built some more – and overbuilt- then the tax base couldn’t support the things a community needs- like resurfacing roads, schools, plows etc.
The reality is- as we keep expanding the region- it costs more to maintain.
VS- a central location- where we already have the infrastructure in place.
Think big picture.
“That’s how the entire community of Springboro got built- and then built some more – and overbuilt- then the tax base couldn’t support the things a community needs- like resurfacing roads, schools, plows etc.” – DE
Wha??? As a resident of Springboro I can honestly say…our roads are good, our schools comparatively ROCK (sure we have some drama) , and I’ve never had my street remain unplowed.
Esrati hates areas like Springboro, but the reality is that is where people with money want to live. Dayton is not the desired location of productive people. Dayton is filled with part timers and drop outs – I live here, I see it every day. Those with money move, plain and simple. The thing about DE crying about the ‘burbs is that he always brings up tax money, state funds, etc… as if Dayton were built 4000 years ago without tax money. I have worked in Springboro for years and the roads are fine, streets are plowed, and the schools are way better than Dayton schools. Sorry Esrati, your liberal talking points just show you are blowing smoke out of your ashcraft. Comparing Springboro or any other ‘burb with Dayton is silly. The rich win. They always do.