Phasing the Steamboat Tennis & Pickleball Expansion Project
A lot has happened behind the scenes in the last six months and plans are now firm enough to provide a comprehensive update. Warning: This is going to be quite a long article! As always, we welcome your questions and feedback, but please read through everything first. (You can download a PDF of this article here.)
Let’s build it … they’ve already come!
There’s no question that demand for tennis and especially pickleball is simply booming in Steamboat. Routt County residents flocked to the Center during the pandemic to enjoy relatively covid-safe activities. Visitors returned in droves in 2021 with repeat visitors staying for longer periods and new ones coming in groups for personalized tennis or pickleball camps run by our pros.
Just look at these incredible stats –
- Despite closing for 10 weeks in 2020 due to the pandemic, the Steamboat Tennis & Pickleball Center’s total income for 2020 was higher than for 2019. In fact, total revenue for the first half of 2021 was an amazing 55% higher than for the same period in 2019 (a more accurate comparison than with covid-influenced 2020).
- Overall court usage increased 80% from 2018 to 2021. The Center now averages 3,200 adult tennis league “plays” and 4,590 adult pickleball open play registrations per year.
- We’ve added 1,200 new names to the Center’s database in just the last 12 months. And that’s undoubtedly an understatement of the actual number of new guests since often only one person registers out of a group of two or four.
So what does that tell us? The need for more outdoor pickleball courts, enclosing them for indoor play, and renovating the outdoor tennis courts is enduring and even more urgent than before.
Reality Check Prompts the Board to Phase the Project
As we all know, construction costs increased dramatically in the last year. The contractors’ bids received earlier this year by CS4L’s Building Committee were eye-opening and sobering – what we had estimated to cost $6 million based on a comparable project in Denver came in at almost double that! Thanks to the Building Committee’s hard-nosed “value engineering,” we now have a realistic cost estimate of $10.1 million for the entire project, including soft costs (professional fees, permit fees, furnishings), a 10% contingency fund, and adherence to the City’s new requirements for stormwater management.
That’s the bad news. But the good news is that we can proceed immediately by phasing the project! Subject to City approval, the CS4L board plans to proceed in two phases, with the option to split Phase 2 further as fundraising milestones are reached. Here’s a flyer with more details that will be available soon in the Center’s vestibule if you’d like a hard copy:
What Will It Take to Get Started?
The short answer is that if City approval and total funding for Phase 1 are in place by February 2022, we would begin Phase 1 construction in May 2022 and complete the bulk of it by early Fall of 2022. The final steps of preparing the new outdoor tennis and pickleball playing surfaces would wait until Spring 2023 in order to have pristine new courts available for summer play.
Those are obviously big “ifs.” Our small-but-mighty Capital Campaign Committee has made great progress during a difficult fundraising environment and have now reached $1.8 million in donations and pledges. We have also obtained a construction loan that we’re confident can be serviced through the resultant increased operating revenues. However, we are only halfway to where we need to be to commit to starting Phase 1 construction next Spring and many millions away from starting Phase 2.
We sincerely thank those of you who have already donated or pledged to this project but now we need everyone’s help if we’re to start construction next Spring! You can see from this chart that we are filling out the top of the pyramid steadily, currently with 50 Legacy Leader gifts and pledges of $10,000 or more.
Here’s how you can help get us to the starting line:
- If you’ve been waiting to make your donation or pledge, please act now! Help us build a solid foundation to this pyramid with a pledge at whatever level you’re comfortable with. For your convenience, you can submit a pledge online at courtsports4life.org/donate.
- If you’re considering a Legacy Leader pledge and would like more information about recognition opportunities (e.g., sponsoring a court) or a closer look at our business plan, please get in touch!
- Introduce us to like-minded potential donors, whether they’re individuals or businesses! Referrals and personal introductions to prospective donors carry so much more weight than a mailing or cold call.
- Help us identify public and private foundations that value healthy lifestyles for young and old, community recreational resources, and programs for under-resourced groups.
- Join our merry band of fundraisers – we have more ideas than we can implement!
Please reach out and talk to any one of us, including the Capital Campaign Committee members listed below. We accept pledges over 3 years (2021-2023) and have many sponsorship opportunities (for individuals and for businesses). Don’t forget, we are a Colorado Enterprise Zone Contribution Project so you get a Colorado state income tax credit of 25% of your cash donation in addition to deducting the remaining 75% on your federal income tax return! Donating appreciated securities can help you avoid capital gains taxes and directing your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRA to CS4L can help you avoid income taxes. In addition, we have a planned charitable giving program if you’d like to make a deferred gift or bequest.
Together, let’s get Phase 1 started next Spring!
Loretta Conway
CS4L Executive Director
loretta@courtsports4life.org
415.328.0314
Steve Modzelewski
CS4L Board Chair
moz@courtsports4life.org
609.865.5382
Becky Lamb
CS4L Capital Campaign Chair
becky@courtsports4life.org
970.846.4527
Capital Campaign Committee:
Carol Breslau – carol@courtsports4life.org, 720.201.9297
Debbie Modzelewski – debbie@courtsports4life.org, 609.865.4116
Jan Sisko – jan@courtsports4life.org, 678.591.2022
Meg Tully – meg@courtsports4life.org, 970.846.4040
FAQs
Q: Would a “sprung structure” similar to the current Tennis Center save money and/or construction time over a metal building?
A: We had hoped to save at least $1 million by utilizing a sprung structure instead of a metal one. It turns out that the initial construction savings would not be nearly that much, plus we’d have significantly higher ongoing maintenance expenses. The issue is that a sprung structure constantly sheds snow, often requiring near-hourly snow removal during a snowstorm. And it’s easily damaged! If you look closely at the tennis building, you’ll see many, many patches where snow removal equipment accidentally tore holes in the material. The planned Pickleball Center will be a steel structure designed to retain snow, simplifying and reducing our winter maintenance needs.
Q: Will the new pickleball and tennis courts be cushioned?
A: Yes! A gel coat will be applied over the concrete, as is the case for the current indoor tennis courts.
Q: What outdoor courts will be usable during Phase 1 construction?
A: The two clay tennis courts closest to Bangtail Way will be available throughout construction. The existing 8 pickleball courts will be available except for a short period near the end of Summer 2022 when it will be gel-coated and re-lined for tennis. (Depending on construction progress, this may actually be scheduled for early Spring 2023 rather than risking winter damage.) The rest of the outdoor facilities – one clay and five hard tennis courts will be taken out of commission for pretty much the entire summer since it’s much more cost-efficient to demolish, grade, lay irrigation lines, and pour concrete for the entire area than one part at a time. What’s the phrase? “Temporary inconvenience, permanent improvement.”
Q: What if you never raise enough funds for Phase 2?
A: Each phase will result in a significant improvement – adding pickleball courts and renovating tennis courts in Phase 1; making indoor pickleball available year-round in Phase 2a; and improving the pickleball amenities and experience in Phase 2b. Even if a later phase is never initiated, the Steamboat Tennis & Pickleball Complex will be a better place, serving more users with upgraded facilities and enabling expanded programs for adults, youth, children, under-resourced groups, adaptive athletes, and other social cohorts.
Q: What is the City’s contribution to this project?
A: The City has agreed to waive construction-related fees that are paid to the City (e.g., for permits and inspections), which is not insignificant! We have also proposed adding more spaces to the parking lot than we initially agreed to, but only if the City will share in the cost since events scheduled on the adjacent fields (e.g., Triple Crown, soccer/lacrosse tournaments) will benefit immensely. And above all, when the project is complete, the City will lease the land to CS4L for a very nominal amount for 20 years with a 20-year extension.
Q: If I make a pledge now, when will I be asked for a payment?
A: We remain committed to waiting until we reach 50% of our fundraising goal before asking donors to fulfill their pledges. In fact, we are likely not to ask for payments until we’re closer to 60% or 70% so that all donors can be confident that Phase 1 will proceed. That said, we will happily accept donations at any time, especially if it’s your practice to give at year-end.
