To the Creative – Sometimes a Little Wacky – Folks with Great Development Ideas:
“Love. Life. Here.”
There were bike racks included in the downtown Wheeling streetscape project, and they’ve been fabricated to offer a suggestion to anyone seeing them in place.
“Love. Life. Here.”
An honest question: How are we doing with that these days? Ya know, the whole loving life in Wheeling thing?
Understand, please, the question is not rooted in negativity. Sure, there are very serious issues in our area, but we’re often reminded of our amenities – and how lucky we are to have them – and that’s because we’re blessed to have our parks, infrastructure, history, the lakes, creeks, and the Ohio River, our schools and educators, and everything else that makes the Wheeling area a special place.
The question has been asked because it’s about time we begin creating – in a so-called realistic frame of mind– a Wish List of “new cool stuff.” Now, keep in mind, by order of the State of West Virginia, each municipality is mandated (by connected funding) to develop a “Comprehensive Plan” that includes goals based on need and real potential.
So, not that kind of proper plan.
No, what we need is a collection of out-of-the-box ideas some would call “silly,” “ridiculous,” and “dumb.” As long as no one is correct when insisting the idea is “impossible,” then every crazy notion should be considered when it comes to recruiting economic investment into our little stitch along Main Stream America.
Like … could a theme park in this area actually work? What about the hotel with a water park on the inside idea? Another fat-daddy campground and RV park? Any ideas connected to the new aviation partnership between Marshall University and West Liberty University?
An incubator center for new businesses? A spin-off of the new hotel in downtown Wheeling? Something to revive the skatepark or add to Heritage Port or make the new Wheeling Island park something, ya know, more.
No idea is a bad idea. Think about it … we were reminded just a week ago that “No Way” can turn into “Yes Sir” while celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Highlands and the Bass Pro/Cabela’s, the Guntry Club’s high-end shooting range will open before the end of the year, and there are several other examples of similar success.
So, what’s next?
Sincerely,
Dreams R Us
