Dear SAPC Members: In addition to setting up as many pickleball play opportunities as possible, you likely expect your board to be looking after the club's long-term needs. This year, the Board and the club's Facilities Task Force have looked at the club's immediate, intermediate and long term facility needs.
We have determined that to address these needs, there is one imperative. It is something that all successful sports organizations eventually do, and we've learned that the earlier we start on it, the better. That imperative is to build a capital reserve.
Without some cash set aside for facilities (as a capital reserve fund), we have no hope of continuing to meet current demand, let alone the projected future demand.
We've laid this out in a report. We invite you to read the whole report and provide thoughtful comments and input. Your email response, for example, could address these questions:
i. Do you know of any other way other than building a capital reserve, to qualify for future grants, to seek matching donations and to have the financial capacity to address our needs for court space.
If so, what is that way, and how would we go about it?
ii. The report proposes a reserve be built slowly, over many, many years, by adding a 15% premium to all club prices.
Should SAPC build a reserve more quickly than is proposed?
Other clubs have done this more quickly. For example, the Kelowna club added an annual surcharge of $30 to their $60 membership fee.
iii.Do you know of any facility, grant or partnership opportunities that should be researched and documented in future versions of this strategy?
If so please tell us all you know about such opportunities.
iv. Do you have any other opinions or suggested positions regarding anything else in this report?
If so, please provide a detailed rationale for taking an alternative position.
Your detailed comments will be preserved, will be made accessible to all board members, and will be summarized for board discussion and decisions at its January meeting.
If you just want to know a bit more about this proposed strategy but not provide comments, we invite you to read the two-page Executive Summary at the front of the report.
You may find the confidential member-only report "SAPC Facility Reserve – Investing in our Future" on the Plans, Policies and Bylaws page under the Club Mgmt menu of our website, or click this link:
https://www.pickleballstalbert.ca/resources/Documents/Plans/SAPC%20Facility%20Reserve%20-Investing%20in%20our%20Future.pdf