DREAM CITY 2020: Film, art in place of military, churches

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the 13th in a series of columns about the future of the Pikes Peak region written by community leaders and visionaries. It's part of the ongoing community initiative Dream City: Vision 2020. Share your vision at dreamcity2020.com. Please send your visions for the future to dreambig@dreamcity2020.com.

Well here's my dream, or maybe a nightmare to some, for our fair city.

For 40 years I've heard "just wait five, 10, 15 years, then Colorado Springs will become the art mecca it was in the 1930s Broadmoor Art Academy days again."

It never happened, it never will happen, unless ... here's the only scenario that I think would allow the arts to become a major player in the 719's future, which would most likely be a dream to me and only me. It's science fiction, nonetheless; but remember that from crisis springs opportunity.

The economic recession of 2008/09 is quite severe, and two major things happen.

1. The U.S. government must cut spending on the military just to feed its citizens, major base closings happen across the country, including Fort Carson and Peterson Air Force Base.

2. Major donations to nonprofit religious institutions and megachurches recede at an alarming rate, as the middle class must concentrate on feeding their families.

This causes megachurches to fold like houses of cards instead of worship, and causes a major nonprofit located in northeast Colorado Springs to "refocus" its efforts and relocate to Texas (revenge is sweet).

Shortly after these events occur in early 2010, the Obama administration announces an economic plan that revitalizes the economy by focusing on creative culture and green manufacturing, retooling both Detroit and Hollywood beyond recognition.

This creates a short period of hardship. With this void, the road is paved for Colorado Springs to become a true creative community. To help its obviously fragile economy, the state and federal governments give major incentives, i.e., free land, to creative businesses to relocate here.

A major motion picture-production company relocates its studios to what was Fort Carson and revives the Western and war movie genres. Employment booms for local creative and craft-based workers, related business thrives. The depressed housing market booms because of the need for all manner of housing.

In addition, technology-based companies related to the motion picture and video game industries move here and revitalize the Garden of the Gods Road tech corridor. The boom is on, and the concept of Silicon Mountain is now fulfilled.

A Mega Dinner Theatre is housed in a former place of worship on Interquest Parkway and brings cheesy music acts and dinner theater productions to Colorado Springs, a la Branson, Mo.

So, not so arty farty, but the creative class could make a living selling out for a few years learning "the business" and move on to other locally operated creative businesses.

Seeing a need for educated workers for this new Media Arts Mecca, the national education franchise Art College is housed on a campus of a former nonprofit in northeast Colorado Springs. Specialized degrees in video production, and video game development and related fields are available.

Tourism now not only flourishes, but thrives with a theme park built on or near the movie studio that is now endearingly called Fort Cartoon by locals.

The United States Olympic Committee is the only nonprofit to survive the economic downturn because of its support from the City of Colorado Springs, and expands its presence and relocates some of it training center to the now abandoned parts of Peterson Air Force Base.

In a bold and aggressive move, they pitch the city to the International Olympic Committee, and we score the 2024 Olympics, which is held at the former Peterson.

All this is done with total support of a majority of the local citizenry, because we can support it without local tax increase.

Voila, Dream City 2020, a la Atomic Elroy.