Fifteen acres of optimism

An anonymous gift and a vision.
Well, What Do You Know...

An anonymous donor has given The "I Love U Guys" Foundation a gift. Fifteen acres right off of Crow Hill. The donor said sell it, or do whatever you want with it.
 
We looked at it. We talked amongst ourselves. And we had a notion, heck, maybe even a vision. What if we used that land and put together a community place in Bailey. Seriously.

A Community Place... Ok, what's that look like?

It starts with some stuff for kids. Youth learning and adventure trails. An orienteering course. Volley ball courts. Maybe an archery range or a skate park. Other stuff may come up, but we're looking at ways to get kids outside and active and thinking. Active bodies mean smarter brains.
 
And, with this first phase, we'll be putting up a small pavilion that can act as an outdoor classroom and to give the community an outdoor gathering place. Phase two will be a building. Auditorium, project rooms, classrooms, a catering kitchen, grills, fireplaces... Amphitheater. Yes. Amphitheater. We're talking vision here. Gear. And lots of it.
 
It's also going to be audio video friendly. A pro sound booth and P.A. combined with projected or flat panel video will let us get bands and presentations in there. (We already have some of this gear donated.) We've even looked at a community radio station license from the FCC. (Now there's a project that needs a volunteer coordinator.) And we've talked about how other organizations can schedule movie night fundraisers or Sunday breakfasts when the VFW isn't serving pancakes. Certainly, other organization rental is on the agenda too.

Benevolent Dictator

Make no mistake. This is The "I Love U Guys" Foundation Community Place in Bailey. There will be terms of use. We'll have rules about scheduling. The rules won't be capricious but they will be... rulerish. We will embrace every community organization and event. Unless they cross a community line of tolerance. (If that happens, we'll all know it when we see it. ) Importantly, we aren't looking at any special recreational districting. We think that county tax dollars don't need to land here. (More on this below.) Plus... A little office and storage space for us and other organizations. Stuff and space.

Hurdles

There's some hurdles to cross. CDOT, zoning, money. But nothing we can't overcome, if the community thinks it's important.

Neighborly

We're trying to position structures with minimal (relatively) impact on the neighborhood. But we are after all talking about a Community Place. And youth activities. And... All of the rest. So, there is an impact. We're looking at natural acoustics and responsible access. We'll keep loud and busy things during sane hours.

Self Funded Phases. Eating the elephant, one bite at a time.

How do we pay for it? A couple of ways. But we'll start with bricks. Engraved bricks. You, your family, your organization, your company, even your grandmother can help fund this project by buying a brick. A hundred bucks gets you three lines of text on your very own paver. Right in the pavilion.
 
With our school programs, we're committed to providing the programs free of charge to districts departments and agencies. We've also committed to not seek government grants in promoting and implementing these programs. Commitments we continue to keep.
 
This capital project is a little different. But we are making some commitments regarding tax dollars. First, we will be actively seeking grants to help fund this development. From nearly everywhere. We'll start with the private sector. What we won't do however, is look to the county. No mill levies. No county tax dollars. Nada. We will be working with the county on logically developing this project. Partners. Not burdens.
 
Doesn't mean that we won't be asking for your help though. But only if you want to. Buy a brick. Donate. Volunteer with some of the planning. Help out with some of the barn raising. Bottom line is that if you think this is an important resource for the community, time or dollars or both are an important part of getting this done.

The 285 Economic Development Act

If we're raising money it means that we'll be spending money. Where possible we'll be using local businesses for construction and ongoing operations. No doubt, that'll stretch from Conifer to Kenosha.

Economic Development Part Two

Our secret, hidden, ulterior motives... Maybe this development can help fund other Foundation initiatives. With the right facility we can host regional conferences focused on our mission. Other organizations might find the venue compelling enough to use, and pay for, as well. (Look at the view.) Events like this will bring outside money into the 285 corridor. Dunno if this is real, but we're still talking vision.
 
That's the plan and we're sticking to it. So, there you have it. Fifteen acres of optimism. But we need your feedback. As we delve into this, we'll be updating this site. Take a look. Let us know what you think.

Funding it one brick at a time

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One Thousand Square Feet

The first phase of The "I Love U Guys" Foundation Community Place has a limited number of bricks. Our goal is 1000 square feet.