Since taking ownership of the business nearly six years ago, and following twelve successful years of doing business just outside of the city of Columbus, we are closer than ever to finally making the move a real possibility.
We have been working hard behind the scenes to develop programs and activities that will allow us to take on the additional costs of a larger location. We have been pushing for growth of our existing programs as well to ensure a solid foundation before making such a move. Public input has been gathered over the past several years (and continues today) to help us as we plan our next move.
Recently, we have been pushing for input directly from Columbus area youth. Our next major step will be to bring area adults into the mix to get their prospective on what our new location must have. This is all part of a larger plan we have been carrying out for the past couple of years as we make some progress towards achieving our goal for a new location to conduct business.
During the months of July and August, we will conduct a meeting or two with adults who are interested in helping make this project happen. We will brainstorm additional ideas and programs more tailored for adults, as well as entertainment in general for the city of Columbus. Other, more detailed items will also be addressed. The goal is to first create a sort of "Citizens Advisory Committee," so as to create a direct link between our company and the ideas and concerns of area residents. This will improve the flow of ideas and information between the general public and our company, and also help identify others who may be interested in helping make this happen.
The results of these meetings will help finalize the business plan and the goals moving forward. "As of right now, our plan is a little bit all over the place. There are so many different angles and ideas for where to take this project, that we need to pull it all together. I believe we are well on our way to incorporating the majority of these many different ideas all under one roof."
Currently, the group plans to have a revised and finalized business plan by the end of the year, with a support network also in place. The project is working a multi-faceted approach, with relocating into an existing building as one option, and buying land and constructing a brand new facility as the other. "The majority of planning on locating a suitable existing building to move into will depend on our ability to find something for the right price at the right time. We are working on an option or two on that front right now. But, we don't want to limit ourselves to that as the only option. If it is more cost effective and feasible, we could also be breaking ground and putting up a brand new place as well."
In order to stay within the time frame of the goals as they currently exist, we will spend the good portion of 2013 identifying potential investors and financing for such a project. Whether building brand new or moving into an existing building, this must be done. It is possible, although highly unlikely, that if financing was secured early enough in 2013, that ground could be broken as early as next Fall. This would mean the facility could be open and operational by Fall of 2014. Or, if simply relocating is an available option yet, it is much more possible to happen by 2014. Otherwise, if we go the route of new construction, we are probably looking at 2015.
