08/14/2016
Dome Works Presents
Get Fit Houston Action Park
Walk, Jog and Bike Park
Houston Astrodome Development Proposal
The Houston Astrodome is truly a proud symbol of Houston’s history. A symbol of Houstonians can do attitude that has put Houston ahead of the world. Now our beloved Astrodome has a real chance of disappearing from the face of the earth forever. This would not just be a great tragedy for Houston, it would be a tragedy for the whole world. This proposal is to repurpose the Houston Astrodome into the “Get Fit Houston Action Park”. The world’s largest indoor air conditioned biking, walking and jogging facility.
This Get Fit Houston Astrodome Development proposal focuses on three specific activities: walking, jogging, and bicycling. This proposal is simple and uncomplicated and was created keeping Houstonians needs in mind at all times and offers the opportunity to save the Eighth Wonder of The World, Houston’s only true landmark and symbol, The Astrodome. In addition to saving our beloved landmark we will be providing a safe, comfortable and fun place for Houstonians to walk, jog and bike long distances. This proposal has the potential to become an avenue for many walkers, joggers and bikers to have a safe, secure and comfortable place to do these three activities in an environment free of hazards, pollution, heat and danger.
Get Fit Houston Action Park is the least expensive, least destructive and the easiest to implement Astrodome Redevelopment proposal and this proposal does not change the reason why the Astrodome was built in the first place, which was to promote health, sports and a closer community.
Three questions:
• Question One: Where in Houston for $5.00 can you walk or jog on an endless cushioned and air conditioned jogging track that is out of Houston’s blistering sun. A place that is away from the dangers of cars and pollution, where you can walk a mile or run a marathon on a never ending track?
• Question Two: Where in Houston can walkers, joggers, and runners be challenged with beautiful green hills in a beautiful and historic setting?
• Question Three: Where in Houston can you ride your bicycle in air conditioned comfort for one mile or a hundred miles without worrying about cars, cold, rain, sunburn or mosquitos?
The answer to all three questions is: Nowhere, Such a place does not exist in Houston.
Houstonians need and crave a place to walk, jog, and bike that is out of the sun. The sun kills; overexposure to the sun causes skin cancer, sun stroke and heat exhaustion.
Houstonians are ready, willing and able to pay for a shaded and air conditioned place to walk, jog, and ride bicycles long distances.
The Astrodome was designed with concourse walkways at the top of every seating level. These concourse floors will be surfaced with a soft flooring material that will provide a slight cushioning and spring effect with every step thus reducing wear on legs and joints while providing a comfortable walking or jogging experience. The cushioned track will go all the way around the circle of the Astrodome on all three levels. The street level concourse will be the walking level. The second level concourse will be the jogging level and the third level concourse will be the family level. All of the levels will include a wheelchair lane. The Upper level will be a safety reserve utility area.
The bicycle track is located on the outer perimeter of the arena floor and will be 60 to 80 feet wide and form a complete circle The bicycle riders will all ride in the same direction with faster riders on the outside lanes and slower riders on the inside lanes. There will be guidelines that riders must follow to insure safety, for example; riders must only use road type bicycles and will have to be track certified to ride based on their riding ability. Riders must of course wear the proper protective gear including helmet. There will be a bicycle speed limit and track marshals that oversee all riders at all times. There will also be a team bike night for riders who want to train for the MS 150 in comfort and safety, certain to turn the Astrodome into a hub for bicyclists.
The hill course will be located in the center area of the Astrodome arena floor and will consist of two hill challenge courses; one for adults and one for children. These hills courses will have wide plateau areas at the top of every hill and clear safety walls on the sides of the hills. Walkers and joggers on the hills will all go in the same direction in an orderly fashion on different lanes marked on the hills. The hills will be steeper on the going up side and less steep on the going down side. By having these hills on the arena floor, you are actually adding more useable square feet to an already very limited space, making the space bigger than it actually is. The hills will be covered with a soft green artificial turf.
The exterior perimeter of the Houston Astrodome will feature a 60 foot wide cushioned surface jogging track that will be soft on the feet. This outdoor track will skirt the immediate outside perimeter of the Astrodome and will include bridges over the entrance points. These bridges will serve to give joggers some hills to walk and jog up. This will make jogging fun and a better workout. The bridges will be built by a certified bridge builder and will not rest on or be attached to the Astrodome structure at any point. The bridges would be similar construction to the Gran Prix Bridges. The exterior bridges will be designed to be removed when necessary. The exterior jogging track will include misting zones that you jog through to cool off, plenty of shade and resting areas, televisions showing Astrodome events as well as other nostalgic programming from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s.
How Does Get Fit Houston Work?
Patrons will purchase a 1, 2, or 3 hour block of time for walking, jogging or biking. The price will be $5.00 per hour. If you would like to walk, jog or bike for three hours the price will be $15.00. Upon entry to the facility, patrons will be given a small 1, 2, or 3 hour time. You simply clip this small timer on your shirt or shorts. When the timer has expired a blinking red light will appear. When you see this light you exit the track, turn in your timer and exit the facility. This timer will also serve as a monitor of how many people are in the facility. A computer program will keep track of all the times that have been purchased and a count of how many people there are in the facility at any given time.
With Get Fit Houston the possibilities are endless, it can also be used for charity events such as fun runs and walking events that will raise money for charities and help the less fortunate. One of the great benefits of having these events in the Astrodome is that security and safety can be better regulated in the controlled environment that the Astrodome provides.
Discovery Green and Get Fit Houston work perfectly together, two distinctly different large attractions that are linked by rail giving our guests to Houston another fun place to go and learn about our proud Houston history.
BELOW IS A LIST OF NECESSARY REPAIRS AND IMPROVEMENTS
1. Removal of two large swivel seating sections that rest on the Astrodome arena floor. Removal of these sections will make the floor completely round allowing for a round bike track and additional space for hills.
2. Install cushioned walking and jogging track surface around the walking, jogging and family levels.
3. New lighting in concourse areas
4. Video screens in concourse areas
5. The concourse area walls would be decorated with Astrodome and Houston related artwork. The artwork will be created by local artists and it will be ever changing. In addition to art work that will be produced, we have a collection of old original Astrodome photos (some never before seen) to blow up and hang in the concourse areas.
6. Install 80 foot wide professional circle bike track around the outside edge of Astrodome arena floor
7. Build pedestrian crossover bridge that goes over the bike track and allows access to the hill course.
8. Build two hill courses on Astrodome arena floor.
9. Three large video screens suspended above main arena floor, new audio system, install video screens in concourse areas that will show past Astrodome events as well as other nostalgic programming.
10. Paint all corridor, concourse and restroom areas.
11. Re-cushion and Re-upholster all remaining seats.
12. Make sure all building facilities are working properly; restrooms, air conditioning, plumbing and electrical.
13. Clean, disinfect, sterilize and power-wash the whole structure from top to bottom.
14. Commission Life Size Bronze Tribute Statue of Roy Hofheinz.
15. Install Swirling Starship LED Light Show .
16. Build exterior cushioned jogging track around the perimeter of the exterior of the Astrodome with hills that go over the entrance points. The exterior track hills can be made with steel supports and be freestanding and will not be attached to the structure at any point .Designed to be disassembled and removed if necessary. This track will have a cushioned jogging surface that will be soft on the feet and will be a pleasure to jog and walk on.
The expense of this conversion could be shared with corporate sponsorship funding, large companies may respond and help with a project like this whose goal is to improve people’s health and save a historic structure at the same time.
Once the conversion has been completed, it will be a walk through Houston history and a great workout at the same time. It will also encourage more walking and jogging which means thinner, healthier and happier Houstonians.
You may ask, why would people pay to jog at the Astrodome when they can jog anywhere else for free? The answer to the question is simple; the safety, the hills, the air conditioning, the cushioned walking and jogging surfaces, and above all, the Astrodome experience.
With this proposal we could turn on the lights of the Astrodome again. This proposal offers a lot to save the Houston Astrodome. It was created keeping Houstonians needs in mind at all times without a large cost to the taxpayer. No other city has dedicated such a facility to the health and well- being of its residents.
Athletes from around the world will travel to Houston just to see and try out the facility. Get Fit Houston will make Houston a tourist destination for runners and bikers and will bring money and tourism to Houston.
The Houston Texans Football team can train and practice by running and catching the football on the hills which will be great training and provide a new aspect to training that was previously not available. Try training by walking and jogging backwards up a hill and all the advanced coordination and balance skills that will come from that kind of training. If a team can run and catch the football on hills, that team will be unstoppable on flatland. Other teams will wonder what hit them and be envious of the player’s sheer ability and overpowering skills. They will tremble and want to run away and hide from this monstrous wrecking machine the Houston Texans. In addition to all the training benefits to be gained, it will be an awesome and incredible sight to behold when the Texans are running and practicing on the hills of the Astrodome.
Details can be worked out with the Rodeo Commissioners for the Rodeo to use the facility freely. Wild West shows on the hills or totally flat and empty for dancing.
Get Fit Houston will be closed on any day that could conflict with any Rodeo or Texan events. And will be available for their exclusive use. If a flat surface arena floor is required, the hills can easily be removed to make the arena floor completely flat and empty.
The Houston Astros can return to the Astrodome for exhibition training and practice. Throwing the baseball around on the hills will sharpen vision and quicken reaction time. Low impact and long distance bicycle training on the comfortable and hurt free bicycle track will increase stamina and improve player’s performance.
The Houston Rockets can train and practice in the Astrodome by dribbling the basketball up the hills which will be great training. If you can dribble a basketball going backwards up a hill you are certain to embarrass the opponent. The other teams will be envious of the Houston Rockets basketball dribbling skills.
All of the Houston sports teams can benefit from having unlimited access to this facility.
Below is a projection of what Get Fit Houston Action Park could bring in annually.
GET FIT HOUSTON APPROXIMATE FINANCIAL PROJECTIONS
Approximate Projections for a period of one year
• ADMISSION
4,000 people per day x $10.00 = $40,000 per day
5 Days per week x $40,000 = $200,000 per week
$200.000 x 4 weeks = $800,000 per month
$800,000 x 12 months = $9.6 million per year in admission revenue.
• PARKING
2000 cars per day x $5.00 = $10,000 per day
$10,000 x 5 Days = $50,000 per week
$50,000 x 4 weeks = $200,000 per month
$200,000 x 12 months = $2.4 million per year
Totals
Admission 9.6 million
Parking 2.4 million
Events 3 million
TOTAL APPROXIMATE PROJECTIONS FOR ONE YEAR $16 MILLION
Get Fit Houston will be aggressively marketed locally and nationwide and certain to always be at capacity.
Just as a reference, a recent survey of Memorial Park demonstrates that there are approximately 30,000 people running and walking at Memorial Park every day under the hot sun.
Get Fit Houston Action Park will be open Tuesday- Sunday 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Get Fit Houston Action Park is the least expensive, least destructive and easiest to implement Astrodome proposal on the table. With doors opening approximately 14 months after the project is funded.
Let’s give the Astrodome back to the people of Houston, the people who love it and want it to remain. They can enjoy it anytime they want to.
Get Fit Houston Action Park will be the highest and best use of the Houston Astrodome and better addresses there real needs of Houstonians.
Dome Works
Get Fit Houston Action Park
1829 Bering Drive
Houston, Texas 77057
713-979-8319
[email protected]
Copyright 2013/2015
