{"feedItem":{"id":270702,"sourceModelId":null,"sourceModelType":null,"title":"We are Rebuilding More Than a Marina — Who Stands With Us?","visibility":"public","commentingPolicy":"public","pinned":false,"featuredOnSyndicateProfileAt":null,"type":"FeedItem::Update","publishedAt":"2026-03-04T20:37:29.144Z","softDeletedAt":null,"sendNotifications":true,"sendNotificationsAt":"2026-03-04T20:37:29.144Z","notificationsSentAt":"2026-03-04T20:51:45.750Z","scheduled":false,"scheduleBlocker":"This post has already been published","createdAt":"2026-03-04T20:36:57.115Z","updatedAt":"2026-03-19T01:46:59.499Z","content":"

How many times have you driven past a place you loved and discovered it was gone?

The old movie theater where everyone went on Friday night.

The bowling alley where leagues played for years.

The neighborhood restaurant where the owner knew your name.

The park where entire summers seemed to unfold.

And when you realize it's gone, the same thought always hits you.

Why did they tear that down?

Progress moves forward.

Plans change.

Developments appear.

But the places people actually cared about quietly disappear.

Not because they stopped being meaningful.

Because no one stopped long enough to imagine what they could become again.

That same moment is happening right now along a stretch of the Ohio River.

The marina we are working to rebuild could easily follow the familiar path. The property could be redeveloped, repackaged, and turned into something entirely different.

That happens every day.

Places get replaced.

Communities adjust.

Memories fade.

But sometimes the bones of a place are still good.

The docks still reach the water.

The shoreline still welcomes travelers.

The river still carries boaters along one of the most remarkable boating routes in North America — the Great Loop.

What disappeared wasn't the usefulness of the place.

What disappeared was the belief that it could live again.

So instead of demolition, we are choosing renewal.

Stronger docks designed for the future.

Fueling and pump-out systems that protect the water.

A real repair facility replacing temporary structures.

And a clubhouse that becomes the heart of the harbor instead of simply another building along the shoreline.

For generations, places like this were where people worked around the water but rarely had the opportunity to truly enjoy it.

The next chapter is something better.

A harbor where people don't just work.

They gather.

They travel.

They stay.

They belong.

If this story sounds familiar, it should.

Every builder eventually reaches a moment where the easy path would be to walk away and let something disappear.

History remembers the people who didn't.

Ray Kroc was selling milkshake machines before helping build McDonald's.

Colonel Sanders began franchising Kentucky Fried Chicken in his sixties.

Walt Disney went bankrupt before Disneyland ever opened.

Sam Walton started with small stores in towns most retailers ignored.

Fred Smith once proposed overnight delivery in a college paper that many believed would never work.

None of them began with the goal of building global companies.

They simply believed a useful idea deserved to exist.

That same belief is what drives this project.

The marina we are rebuilding today is not meant to stand alone.

It is meant to become the first harbor in a network of boating communities connected by the water itself.

The journey begins along the Ohio River, positioned directly along the Great Loop — one of North America's most unique boating routes.

From there the vision expands to places where American boating naturally gathers.

The southeastern waterways, particularly Georgia where rivers, bays, and coastal routes meet.

The Pacific Northwest where islands, bays, and protected waters create some of the richest boating environments anywhere.

And if the idea proves as resilient as we believe it can be, the horizon may eventually stretch even further.

Not thousands of locations.

But enough harbors that wherever you travel, the feeling is familiar.

A welcoming dock.

A shared harbor.

A place that feels like home.

That is the vision behind the MHSTA Yacht Club.

Not exclusivity.

Community.

Not replacing places people loved.

Rebuilding them.

I'm beginning this effort at a stage in life when many people are told it’s time to slow down.

But sometimes experience gives you the perspective to recognize when something valuable shouldn't be allowed to disappear.

And if no one else is stepping forward to rebuild it, then maybe it's your turn.

If you've ever driven past a place you loved and wondered why it disappeared…

If you've ever wished someone had stepped forward to save it…

If you believe the places where people gather still matter…

Then I would genuinely welcome the conversation.

Because every harbor begins the same way.

A small group of people who simply believe it should exist.

If this vision resonates with you — whether as a boater, a builder, a community supporter, or simply someone who believes places like this should not disappear, I would genuinely welcome the chance to hear your perspective.

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