For years there have been discussions about the need for a joint county and 4-H fair facility. There have also been talks about the need for convention space and more hotel space. Now Daviess County officials are talking about those dreams and the possibility of finding a way to put them together. "Is it time to dream?" asked Ron Arnold with the Daviess County Economic Development Corp. "Basically that is what we are doing here. We're trying to see if that dream can be turned into a reality."
While some of the projects have been discussed for decades, others are newer and are tied to the development of I-69. "That highway allows us to spread the foot print on the events we might be able to attract and hold here and it expands some of the ideas for what may need to be developed."
Right now a small group of community leaders are considering the possibilities of the project that could include a hotel, convention center, outdoor amphitheater and fairgrounds all located in the area of the I-69 and U.S. 50 intersection. Officials roughly estimate that the project would take in around 70 to 100 acres at a cost of around $15 million. "No land has been secured," said Arnold. "Nothing is set. We just want to know if people are interested."
Arnold says the community has a need for all of the facilities in the proposal. The hotel would be a private development while the convention center and other facilities would most likely be the result of public projects. "We know right now that we have a shortage of hotel space," he said. "A decent sized community center could be used to host conferences and events. It could also provide some office and space for business incubators. There are a lot of events we could be hosting if we had the facilities. Smaller communities all over the state are hosting them, but no one in southwestern Indiana is because we don't have the facilities. We believe the need will grow once I-69 opens all the way to Bloomington."
While some community leaders see the need for the project they are not going to dive in without the backing of the public. "It will be a community decision," said Arnold. "Our organization has reached out to the United Way, the Community Foundation, the 4-H, the Fairgrounds Board, city of Washington and County. For this to work we will need a lot of participation from those groups plus a sizable contribution from the private sector."
Local leaders are calling the potential project one that is about the quality of life in the area. "We feel this can be something that can set Daviess County apart from the other communities," said Arnold. "We believe this multi-use venue could be a key to that."
While representatives from several groups are kicking around the ideas and doing some research no formal group has been set up yet. "We first want to see if the public is interested," said Arnold. "We want to hear their ideas. They can contact our office with those ideas. If it looks like this is something the community wants then we will form a formal committee and begin moving forward."
Leaders believe the facilities could be a key to helping build what the Lilly Endowment has called an under developed tourism industry in southwestern Indiana. They believe it could also provide space and assistance for everything from after school child care to adult education and work force development training.
"This is by far the boldest project I have been involved with or our organization has been involved with," said Arnold. "It's going to take the support of everyone to accomplish something this grand."