The Reason

The Three Rivers Greenway, the Capital's natural jewel, has 20+ miles of beautiful concrete trails, with many more miles planned. Yet, there is not a single destination space along the Riverwalk. Not a single spot to park your bikes and grab a snack, pull your kayak ashore and grab a drink, meet friends for dinner, nor a place to let kids play and experience nature in a controlled environment. And when the beautiful weather of SC gets a little too hot, cold, or wet there we lack a venue along the Riverwalk that can provide shelter from the elements. Plainly, Columbia is void of a riverfront, family-friendly, nature-connected establishment to eat, drink, and socialize. 

Perennially, Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. Pickleball has wide-ranging appeal from grade-school students to retirees, however growth has been stunted in the Capital Region due to an abundance of barriers to entry into the sport.  Barriers include limited open play times, a lack of beginner's clinics, hard to find/limited places to play, a lack of structured events. There are also facility limitations due to a lack of covered courts, a lack of dedicated courts, minimal play times, and no social settings at or near existing venues.

Mental health continues sliding downward among all age groups in America. In the past three years, the percentage of Americans who take prescription medication for mental health has increased from 16% to 25%. More than 1 in 5 adults are considered inactive, leading to poor physical health. And as a society we are deficient in the face-to-face interactions each human needs, choosing instead to sink into the black holes of solitude, social media, and electronics.