Lehigh County, Pennsylvania has decided to make some land available for a Bicycling Museum.
“The land would be offered to the hall for $1 per year and the county would aid in fundraising to foot the anticipated $6.6 million construction cost. By getting out of the gate with their proposal early, officials hope to make an impression on the hall.
”Lehigh County is known as a national center for bicycling,” said the County Executive. ”This is the perfect place for a Bicycling Hall of Fame. The county velodrome is a long-standing, beloved destination for world-class athletes, nationwide enthusiasts, and our own local cycling fanatics.”
Just this morning, I woke up, wishing I could go to a bicycling museum. “Alas. There are none.”, I said sadly to myself. But, when I saw the news release above, I was overjoyed. “Finally! Someone cares!”
Like most such proposals, it will generate enough enthusiasm to be built. It will provide jobs for several ne’er-do-well relatives of the sponsors, or maybe, the sponsors, themselves. A great deal of thought, planning, and effort will be expended by people on various “vital committees”.
Eventually, their involvement will culminate in hiring an architect, getting bids on turning his drawings into a structure, hiring a contractor, and making a few “important alterations”. Eventually, there will be a grand opening.
Shortly after the grand opening, a few enthusiasts will begin to bewail the “public’s lack of interest” in their project. Soon, and the sooner the better, it will wither away and disappear.
Each such proposal has one, universal end. The taxpayers will be poorer.
