Bikes and Dreams

I enjoyed attending the Board of Commissioners meeting yesterday. There was certainly room for improvement with my presentation but I fielded questions well. It was fun. I enjoy a formal setting where decisions are being made that can make a difference. I just need more practice. Government is in place to serve the people and meet their most important needs. Alsea needs a safe place to exercise. After I spoke, I was encouraged to contact one of the commissioners and a county planner. It's a beginning.

I forgot to mention at the meeting yesterday that Alsea needs a pool. The Clemens Foundation offered years ago to build a pool that could be used by both the school and community. The problem was funding the maintence. I hope that a solution can be found for this problem.

I was also asked about bikes on the road. I should have mentioned that I witnessed a bike event two weeks ago on a Saturday on the Kings Valley Highway between Highway 20 and Dallas. It was a glorious event with event participants wearing numbers. I passed the sea of bikes at the side of the road and thought the event hadn't started. I was wrong because I came upon other bikes ahead. A car behind me passed two cars on a blind curve. This wasn't safe for the bikes or any of the cars. It would have been a better choice for the road to be completely blocked to cars during the event. A detour should have been set up. I wouldn't have minded. I would rather see that the event participants are safe and that the event would be a success without mishap.

After the meeting I went over to Timberhill Athletic Club to exercise. First 45 minutes swimming slowly in the deep water. Then 60 minutes on the Precor 546 elliptical runner, 15 minutes using weight machines for arms, and I ended up on the elliptical runner again for 30 minutes.

I asked the owner of Timberhill if he would consider setting up a satellite gym in Alsea where membership in Alsea would also give someone a membership to his athletic club in Corvallis. He said he'd think about it. I figure that it doesn't hurt to ask and to seek out all possible alternatives.

I feel that it's a smart business decision to start setting up gyms in small communities with the escalating gas prices. I called Curves a month ago about starting a Curves in Alsea. The manager said that Curves doesn't go into communities smaller than 2500 population. I think it's a mistake. People in rural areas and small towns of 500 to 1000 need a safe place to exercise too.

If this doesn't work out, it is necessary for government to set up community centers with exercise equipment. It would be so nice to have a community center with the opportunity for college classes, a community band, community theater, etc.

As long as I'm dreaming, I'll share my dream for a several hundred acre fitness center. It would be closed off to cars. The paved roads would be for bike and marathon events. There would be an exclusive training center for elite athletes with the best trainers. It would be known all over the country as the place to train so a hotel and restaurant with healthy cuisine would be at the edge of the complex. All I need is the financial backing and the land.

Soon off to Weight Watchers....