Chances that the Flagler County School Board will close the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club are getting slimmer every day as club backers have made good on closing a budget gap there, in large part by more than doubling membership and bringing in unexpected new, recurring revenue.
The school board set a Feb. 2 drop-dead deadline for its decision on the fate of once-beleaguered club, owned and run by the district’s adult and community education arm but cherished and appropriated by a nearly fanatical core group of supporters and users. Those users, along with adult education officials, have been largely responsible for the club’s rejuvenation, at least in the short term. The long-term prospects of the club are still cloudy as the facility needs a costly face-lift that may add up to $500,000. But that future is no longer nearly as bleak as it seemed just a few months ago.
The board is scheduled to meet on Feb. 2, with the club’s future on its agenda.
“It looks pretty favorable that we’re going to remain at the current hours that we have,” Kevin McCarthy, who heads the district’s adult education division, said, referring to the scaled back hours and slimmer staff the club adopted late last year as a cost-saving measure. Speaking of the board, he said, “I feel confident that they’ll keep the facility open.” But he cautioned that the board may still vote differently.
The ageing Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club lost $141,000 last year. As losses were piling up, the board decided in July to close the facility, at least to the public, by fall, and use it only for high school swim teams and the county’s Synchro Belles, the much-decorated synchronized swimming team.
In all, the club went from 130 memberships last October to over 300 so far, Doug Courtney, head of the citizen’s group, said Monday. The goal was 400 memberships. But that was before the Flagler County Commission said it would approve an annual $25,000 contribution to the club’s operations, the revenue equivalent of 125 annual memberships. The commission has yet to formally approve the contribution, but McCarthy said the approval may be on the commission’s Feb. 1 meeting agenda. Palm Coast is refusing to make a monetary contribution. It sees the club as competition for its own parks and recreation programs: the city did not mention Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club in a press release listing fitness outlets at the beginning of the year.
“With the additional funds and everything we’re well over the $80,000 they requested,” Courtney said, referring to the budget gap the school board said had to be closed, or else. “It wasn’t the number of members so much as it was the money. We had to raise $80,000.”
Overall, Courtney said, the operation is well above the minimum $80,000 required, and it should be on course to a money-making operation again. He cited talks with organizations such as Florida Health Care, the Silver Sneakers program, which gives eligible members of health insurance plans subsidized access to facilities such as Belle Terre Swim and Racquet, and with others seeking partnerships with the club to make it part of their wellness programs, all of which would either increase membership or add to revenue. But, Courtney said, “everything is on hold until Feb. 2,” as these organizations want to see how the board will vote before proceeding.
Even without such arrangements, the club’s finances are stronger. “I’m confident that we’ve met the goal that’s required, but I don’t vote,” Courtney said. “I feel we’ve done very, very well. I feel we’ll turn this into a revenue stream for adult education.”
The district has also been improving the facility. It has redone the sauna, enticing a few more members to join. But that’s only a beginning. McCarthy says if the school board extends the club’s life, the next step will be to develop a plan for the facility’s capital improvement.
The pool deck and the pool itself must be resurfaced, for example. That will cost money. It will also require the facility to be closed for a couple of weeks. The locker rooms by the pool need refurbishing. “If money were no object, the best thing would be to rebuild,” McCarthy said. But money is an issue, so refurbishing is more likely. And the wellness center’s innumerable fitness machines are old and need to be replaced, just as the nature of fitness has changed, with users’ expectations demanding certain machinery the club does not own. That’s a large investment. “We’re not a Planet Fitness, we don;t have a national organization to help us with this,” McCarthy said.
Also, the tennis courts will need resurfacing. And the portable sitting at the site, used for various classes, will have to be dealt with: it’s getting old, it’s a portable, meaning that it’s supposed to be temporary by definition.
The facility has never had a three to five-year capital improvement plan. That may be part of the next step, McCarthy said.
Assuming the board is willing to call the Belle Terre Swim and Racquet Club Lazarus on Feb. 2.
confidential says
Congratulations to all those club members, supporters and crusaders to preserve it for the community!! Mr Courtney and Mr, McCarthy at the fore front good job well done. All those residents without a pool in summer sure will use the facilities and those tennis players…is a good source of health promoting facility for all, specially children and elderly. Good goal achieved.
Anonymous says
Good to hear. This facility should be a joint effort to keep open and grow in the community. It should have the support of the County as most of the county residents are within PC. It should have the support of the Schools as they can and do use it for swim teams. The City of PC should support it as it would be a blight on the community if left to fall apart. It also should have support from individual’s who can benefit from their use of it.
tulip says
Maybe some of the more wealthy club members could donate some substantial money, or equipment or remodeling services, etc. in exchange for a free membership for a certain amount of time? The faster the place is updated, the more appealing it becomes for people to join.
Just think about how it could become a “community effort” and run by everyday people and actually make money, as well as provide a useful service to all ages of people, unlike some of the other things we have here in PC. I hope it does well. Congratulations to all those who have worked hard to get to this point.
THE VOICE OF REASON says
I miss the day when communities offered such things to their residents because it was considered part of the community experience.
When did we reach the point that everything had to make a profit?
tulip says
To Voice of Reason—–It would be good to have the swim club make a profit plus a little extra for unexpected expenses, in order to be able to pay their own operating costs and some other miscellaneous things so it wouldn’t be a burden to the city or its taxpayers. That’s what I meant about the swim club making money.
just me says
@ voice of reason and all other. IMO we reached the point that parks and other things like them NEED to make money came from over bloated government as a whole. All too often we see government growing itself at the expense of the people. Just look at little PC its “manager” make MORE then the Governor of the State plus ALL the other HIGH paying paper-pushers in it. Also look at its counsel when some or maybe just one say they don’t get paid enough at this part time position. When most of the cost is to just keep the Staff over any real service to us that’s the problem.
confidential says
I have this question here for Tulip and all. We ll pay taxes for the services we are supposed to receive and is never enough. Now If I want to replace my rusted exterior bathroom door I have to pay to the city a $200 permit, is even higher for replacing my A/C at the end of its life. Now do you all ask where all those fees go, which account and to pay for what? If I were to run for local county or city council, I would ask for that in detail. How come then we do not have money to sustain our community amenities that give value and health promoting activities like gym, pool, tennis, golf to our residents specially elderly and children and also provide a place to practice to our Synchrobells team of aquatic artistic competing girls? Why all these activities can’t be helped with a partial use of all those fees and also drivers fines and violations fees and drugs dealers property forfeitures? Where all these big monies go? Why we do not buy a piece of land and build a safe campground for our homeless to be run by volunteers, were needed social services can be offered to them? Are we going to demand accountability in order to promote and start of the ground these community desperately needed services? Or only the wealthy can benefit from the taxes and fees we pay?
Good questions to be asked to our new candidates and the ones already on their seats.
So far my support for Milissa as she supports the permanency of our Palm Coast amenities ( golf, etc.) promised to us by ITT ICDC when we bought in Palm Coast.