LET’S BUILD FORT APOPKA
by Gregory Johnson,
Real Estate Agent
I want to build a FORT just South of Apopka (four blocks
from Park and Main). I want to call it FORT APOPKA, and put it in clear sight
distance of the crossroads there. I want
little boys who are passing through (in the 70,000 cars that pass through that
intersection every day) to tap their Daddies on the shoulder, and get the whole
family to STOP AND EXPLORE THE FORT
instead of passing through and going where they intended to go (i.e. Mount
Dora, Winter Garden, Sanford, or Winter Park).
You know…the “other” fun cities to visit.
Then, I want them to park their car in a paid parking structure we put there for
that purpose. I want them to get out of
their cars all excited to EXPLORE THE
FORT and surrounding area which we should call “Frontier Village.”
The borders of Frontier Village will be marked out for them
to see a confined, unified looking area
that has a Frontier Theme. Rail Road
ties sharpened to a pencil-like point can be placed upside down (pointing up)
along residential border across from the Bus Stop, the Rail Road Tracks to the
north, (hiding an unsightly building that can be seen from the Bus Stop), and
providing security for the Old Train Station.
I think we should build a way through the Frontier border as there is a
worn pathway between the Church and the Train Station which indicates that a
formal pathway should be put there for the indigenous people to use to get to
the Bus Stop.
To the North East running along the Train Tracks another set
of Rail Road Ties sharpened to a pencil point could be put in to define and
confine the area giving it unity from an architectural perspective. This type of border all around the Fort Area
would then constitute a ‘Theme’ for the area.
Just outside the Frontier Village area I want to build a tall Frontier
viewing Tower that is much taller than the other buildings so that people are
enticed to climb it to get a bird’s eye view of where they want to go next in
the nearby area.
From there I want them to see that further south from the
Fort, in the wooded area; there are two
distinct Indian Villages that have been recreated. On the one side of Park Avenue there is an Acura Indian Village (Sponsored by
Acura Car Company), and on the other side there is a Seminole Indian Village (Sponsored by Seminole State College). The Indian Villages cost $5 a person to get
in to explore, and there is a paid parking structure right beside them so that
people can easily park and explore the Indian Villages on foot.
A primitive walking
bridge should be erected between them so that people can easily walk over
the automobile traffic to go to both
Indian Villages (Netting us $10 per person instead of $5).
Now little boys can play Cowboys and Indians in that area,
and their Dad’s will join them because Dad’s are basically big kids too (ask
any wife and mother). While they are
here playing Cowboy and Indians, we want to sell the whole family an ice cream
cone, have them visit the Frontier Candy Store, and by a T-Shirt from the
Frontier Souvenir Shop, then we want them to have dinner on Central Avenue in
the Restaurants we provided for them.
If you just get 1% of the traffic to turn down Park Avenue and
visit both Indian Villages, that would represent 700 new visitors to that area
per day, and that would be seven days a week (7 x 700 = 4900 new guests per
week). On Sundays we open at Noon to
respect the Churches in the area. That’s
4,900 people per week that are STOPPING IN APOPKA and SPENDING MONEY.
If each family just spends $15, that would be $73,500 net
income coming in weekly into our
downtown Apopka economy that wasn’t coming in before. Over the course of a year that would be
$382,200 in new annual taxable revenue.
Over ten years’ time, that would represent $38,220,000 in new taxable
revenue. Now imagine if 2% of the little
boys want to see the Fort. That’s right,
$76,440,000 new dollars in our economy.
5% of the traffic we already have driving by would be
$191,100,000. 10% of those drivers would
be $382,200,000. You can do the rest of
the math. Don’t forget events like Civil
War and Colonial Era Reenactments, and Renaissance Festivals that could be held
in and around the Fort which would bring authentic style vendors and reenactment
specialists from all over the United States for an event.
Events such as these around the country bring in well over
100000 guests over the course of one weekend.
They literally bring in Millions and Millions of dollars. Parking, congestion, and what to do with all the extra money in your pocket is going to be
your only problems.
Besides the obvious educational benefits to our local kids, that’s why I want to BUILD A FORT. Help me build Fort Apopka. It will
reinvigorate the whole local economy and revitalize South Apopka. I propose that
90% of the jobs created by the
creation of the Fort and Frontier Village should
go to South Apopka to revitalize their economy and give them more
opportunities for economic growth.
Inside Fort Apopka I
want to put an 800 seat log cabin banquet facility just like the Apopka
Community Center and let the VFW rent to own it. John
Land promised them a building, so let’s honor that agreement and give them one
that is appropriate for War Veterans; inside a Military Fort.
I think the City of
Apopka should buy the land and build
Fort Apopka and two Indian Villages.
I think the City of Apopka should put in several paid parking structures to accommodate the extra traffic and
generate revenue for the City.
I think the Museum of
the Apopkans should be put in charge of the Fort, all educational
activities surrounding the Fort, and all reenactments that are done there. The proceeds from which they can split evenly
with the City of Apopka, so both entities can afford to put on sophisticated educational programs in the Fort well
into the foreseeable future.
I think they should also build Frontier Village out of old railroad ties that are literally
littering the old railway system.
We have a stack of them here in Apopka, just up the tracks from the proposed
location for the Fort. That way you
don’t have to cut down any trees to build it, and technically it’s made out of
recycled Rail Road Ties. Kudos for us,
for paying attention to conservation being Green!
If you think this is a good idea, come to the next City Council Meeting and say so, or go to your next Visioning Apopka Forum and
voice your opinion.
I will be submitting plans to the Mayor for this project,
and will be trying to get the City to approve it, pay for it, and build it. If more people want this, then now is the time
to let your Mayor know.
Tell your elected officials that, “A vote for Fort Apopka is a vote against racism and poverty for South Apopka and continued prosperity
for generations to come for North Apopka.
It’s a vote for becoming a destination rather than a crossroads.” Apopka needs to put on its big boy pants
and become a place people want to go to have fun. In other words we want to become a
destination instead of a route to some other town so they can spend their
money. Let’s have them spend it here
instead because we are more convenient to get to (because we are in the middle
and we own the crossroads).
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