By Doug Courtney
The Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club has been a focus of school board and administrative discussions as well as informative articles on the club.
Much of the discussion and articles, while accurate in context, are quite open to interpretation. Some of those articles and the information presented indicate that funds are being diverted from other school programs such as Extended Day, to subsidize the facility. This, in turn, causes parents and families utilizing these programs to pay higher rates than would normally be required.
It is also alleged that by the end of this fiscal year on June 30, 2023, the Belle Terre club will suffer a loss of $177,880 which will have to be covered by taxpayers using possibly questionable resources. Allegations such as these have sparked the interest of Sally Hunt, one of our new board members, as they should. [A school board workshop focused exclusively on the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. on April 4 at the Government Services Building, 1769 East Moody Boulevard, Bunnell. The workshop is open to the public.]
Because of this interest and the decisions to be made that will immediately affect over 750 residents, the interpretations presented should be examined for accuracy.
First and foremost, the Belle Terre club has never lost more than $94,000 in any fiscal year in the last five fiscal years. See that breakdown here, as tabulated by the district’s finance director.
In fact, during the pandemic, when the facility was closed for three months, Belle Terre had one of its highest grossing revenue years and a loss of less than $39,000. In truth using the provided data from the district, the annual average loss for the last five years has been no more than $69,000. Still a loss, but nowhere near $177,800.
Why then is the facilities director cautioning that increased funding from other public entities would not stop the losses? Why the insistence on the $177,800 loss, a 150 percent increase in losses, from the prior fiscal year?
A review of the presented information is required. First, board members and the public should be aware that revenues for this fiscal year are based on actual data, not all data, but actual data. The expenses, however, are based on a budget that was estimated in June of 2022, not actual data. What is the difference?
First, looking at the revenues Freeman focuses on the yearly membership: He references that currently there are only 59 individuals paying for yearly memberships. What he did not disclose is that yearly memberships were not reintroduced until October 1, 2022. They had been eliminated at the direction of Joshua Walker, coordinator of community services, in January 2022.
Thus a growing population of yearly memberships as reported by Flagler Technical Institute Renee Staufacher in July 2021 of 198 members was reduced to zero. (FTI is the adult education arm of the school district, under whose umbrella the club operates). It was only repeated lobbying by the club advisory committee and a noticeable reduction in income that influenced Freeman to request the board to reinstate the yearly memberships. The difference in income due to this action was the difference between receiving $17,700 per year and $59,400 per year.
Additionally, when talking of revenues, prior to Mr. Freeman’s budget, there was a line item for Other. This line item was used to show the revenue received from many contracted uses of the pool, including but not limited to, Fluid, Synchro Bells, and water aerobics–three community organizations that pay to use the pool at the club. In the prior budgeted year this total was $75,000. That line item and the revenues it produced were no longer listed in 2022-23 budget. Also unsurprisingly, that income from that line item was never included in actual revenues in any yearly statement.
When it comes to income, lack of cash controls, lack of delineation of revenue sources, and absence of contracted income have all reduced this year’s projected income from 192,000 five years ago to $151,000 last year.
Finally, when construing the projected figures for the end of June 2023, Freeman only doubled the projected income. This would assume a linear income base–that is, uniform income month after month, all 12 months of the year–which Belle Terre does not possess. Belle Terre is very much a seasonal business. Income from Belle Terre peaks in April, May, June, and July. Fully 60 percent of revenue would be received in the six months from January 1, 2023, until June 30, 2023. The income projected for budgeted decisions should reflect that. It does not.
Expenses bear the same incongruities, only more so as they are based on opinion, not actual costs. While income uses actual receipts and then projects by a multiple of two, expenses are based solely on the opinions expressed in June 2023. While labor costs are not delineated by expressed line items such as management, custodial, or even lifeguards, they are placed in nebulously labeled line items.
It is time for more clarity, based on solid numbers clearly and objectively presented.
Doug Courtney is a long-time resident of Palm Coast and member of the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club’s advisory committee. See his full financial analysis of the club below, in a 39-minute video an d a written analysis.
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The dude says
We had two paid adult memberships, our daughter would be a third paid membership now that she’s 12.
We dropped our memberships exactly because of all this dithering.
Why invest in something that could be gone tomorrow?
It could be promoted, new members added, revenues increased, but the Flagler School Board would rather talk it into the ground and kill it.
Not sure what the end game is for the school board, but that can be said about most all of the things they do.
Judy B says
Even though the school board makes no effort to promote this place to all the new people moving to Palm Coast, we still flourish. Attendance at the pool and gym has been higher than I’ve seen in years. It’s a community there. To close BTSRC would be a terrible loss to the community which is made up of more than just young families with school age kids. This article shows that “games” are being played with the accounting. Doug Cortney knows what he is talking about. I hope the school board will listen to what he has to say and decide to keep BTSRC open!
Pogo says
@Mr. Courtney, FlaglerLive
On a different topic, I recently commented, “…I’m grateful to those with the facility and willingness to speak discerningly, knowledgeably, and above all, honestly, at length about any matter. Explaining complexity, intricacy, perspective (true size and scale), probability, etc., is not a task for a few words…”
Thank you very much. Extremely well done, and well said.
David Larson says
Thank you Doug Courtney for adding a little light to a very confusing school board portrayal that appears to be an intentional way to close Belle Terre swim and racquet club. I suspect upon closer look at the budget. The school board is using other discrepancies will be found
Dennis C Rathsam says
Like I said previosly….Fire the whole school board, and start over….This lunacy has to stop!
Leila says
This article serves to demonstrate why more need to attend these school board meetings so that these very questions may be asked. Sunlight is always the best disinfectant. Thank you for a good article.
Ken K says
Clearly there are some administrative shenanigans going on that is too granular for the school board to know. There is no accountability for this facility. A private business could never operate successfully in this manner. Belle Terre has a great upside if properly managed.
Celia Pugliese says
Thank you Dough Courtney from pulling the rag over the club’s shady financials! Again I am asking here that Flagler County double its contributions of $25,000 (I think last reported) a year to the Belle Terre Swim Club as takes the lions share of my ad valorem taxes. Palm Coast should starts, if not yet, yearly contributions as well along the other cities as residents from allover and specially children use the pool facilities in our long hot summers. Always better than kids hanging in the streets. Belle Terre Swim (and Racket) Club was an amenity offered to us by ITT when we bought our homes and should not be one more taken away like the Sun Sports ocean front pool and cabanas membership traded by then county commission to Bobby Ginn’s for his HB Golf course, in exchange for some acres in the swamp and a 20,000 check for a parking park so Palmcoaster’s could access their blocks of just given away ocean front beach to Ginn, by Jungle Hut. Lets do not let them take away the Belle Terre Pool from the residents in a city baked thru our long summers! And also make it more affordable for families with kids and our competing Synchro Belles swim team that help us put Palm Coast in the map. Our half cent tax we pay, should also be shared by county and all cities to sustain the Parks and Recreations facility: “Belle Terre Swim Club” and if under school ownership then just transfer it to the city but keep funding it as school students use it as well. Where our life guards train in the last few years? Maybe in Frieda Zamba now changed name to can’t remember what? We have two pools? Yes we need two pools specially with this paving us over greedy growth! Residents should not only endure the one’s in power decisions, but we need to have some of their decisions to enjoy for Even’s Sake! Protect and Preserve our Belle Terre Swim Club even if the Racket No more. Thank you again Doug!
City of Palm Coast Mayor’s vision of an Aquatic Center built at millionaire cost maybe years away and life is short lets preserve and enjoy what we have now.
Celia Pugliese says
By the way: Just in case no conflict of interest here as I do not have a membership or use the pool except when my daughter every other year visits for few days and keeps up her thriatlon training paying visitors fees. But I do care for our residents and specially children and elderly that need the pool.
jeffery c. seib says
Congratulations to Doug Courtney for his very well written presentation of information about the financial condition of Belle Terre Swim and Raquet Club. This critical analysis of the budget for Belle Terre presented by the School Board certainly shows a discrepancy in claimed expenditures that if his analysis is correct or more correct than theirs makes a compelling argument for continuing the Clubs operations. Right now, the city of Palm Coast and Flagler County are making a big deal of parks and recreation. Well, Belle Terre is the original recreation facility in the city. Perhaps, if the school board had been tending to Belle Terre with repairs and renovations on an annual basis, no huge expenditures would be needed at this time to bring it up to top notch status. I hopeful and urging everyone who supports health and fitness, even non-members of Belle Terre to attend the workshop Doug mentioned on April 4, 2023.