Ok, so it might sound a little crazy.

A dome in Shelby County?

Having witnessed the three-ring circus up in Birmingham that has evolved from their &8220;dome struggles&8221;, you would think our county leaders would want to stay as far away as possible.

But when you look a little closer at what are county is capable of accomplishing, the idea of a large indoor arena isn&8217;t that hard to swallow.

Shelby County is already bringing in numerous national sporting events to our area, with only the lack of a large enough venue holding us back from even more.

Shelby County cities are known for being progressive and aggressive in their developments, and a partnership with the county government could make a dome stadium a great source of revenue for our community.

Will we begin plans to build one next year?

I doubt it.

But that shouldn&8217;t stop our county officials from aiming high.

Shelby is one of, if not the fastest, growing counties in the Birmingham area.

It seems obvious that the city of Birmingham, Jefferson County and the BJCC are going to be tied up for the next decade in bureaucratic debates that leave them without a new arena and losing ground when it comes to attracting large events to the area.

Now would seem like the perfect time for a well organized and progressive alternative to be presented over the BJCC expansion project.

According to the U.S. Census Shelby County had 143,293 residents in the year 2000.

If you compare that to a town like Green Bay, Wis. (pop. 101,100), which is home to one of the most storied professional football programs in the history of the NFL and one of the most famous football arena&8217;s in Lambeau Field, a domed stadium for Shelby County seems well within our grasp.

Again, I don&8217;t think we&8217;re ready to lure the Atlanta Falcons away from the Georgia Dome.

But with a little investment and effort, Shelby County could be the perfect place for their newest rivals