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HomeMy WebLinkAboutConstituent Letter - Read Before Packet - 10/29/2013 - Letter From Bill Bartel, Fast Board Of Directors Re: South East Community Recreation And Arts Center (Agenda Item # 3)Fort Collins Area Swim Team “World Class Character through Excellence in Swimming” October 29, 2013 Dear Fort Collins City Council, This letter serves to supplement the Feasibility Study under consideration tonight during your Work Session, which includes discussion on the Southeast Community Recreation and Arts Center. The Fort Collins Area Swim Team (FAST) Board of Directors has reviewed the Feasibility Study and would like to provide additional commentary and recommendations. We note that the Executive Summary for the Feasibility Study highlights some of the community needs identified in your previous survey sampling as follows:  The wellness and sport opportunity for young people, seniors and athletic teams are underserved in the community  It is clear that the existing inventory of space within the School District is no longer sufficient to meet the growing needs of the youth sports programs  The need for more gymnasium space, swimming pool and fitness component was validated through the public input process We believe the above needs should be a focus in the Fort Collins community. Colorado is a mecca for athletes and triathletes, and desires and needs more facilities to support this active lifestyle. Swimming is, of course, one component of the active Colorado lifestyle, and the needs continue to grow. Lane space for club teams is tight across the country and in our area with FAST, Vortex and Loveland Swim Clubs all currently at near maximum capacity. We are hopeful that the City of Fort Collins will carefully consider the community needs and what will be best for this active community and the sport of swimming. While we note the recommendation in the Feasibility Study is for a leisure pool, we are concerned that this may not meet the needs that have been identified, and may not produce the financial returns the City is seeking. We believe the pool space should be able to accommodate competitive swimming and High School swimming. As you will hopefully reflect on, revenue at EPIC is likely derived from a steady revenue source from club swimming, significant swim meets, ice rental for figure skaters and hockey, as well as hockey game rental and ice shows. It’s unclear that the current design for the Community Center will draw this kind of revenue. With respect to swimming, a pool that will accommodate competitive swimming (Club swimming and associated significant meets) could also effectively accommodate:  Activities through learn to swim and other safety programs (drowning in the 2nd greatest cause of death of children in most states)  Aquatic rehabilitation programs  Water polo and synchronized swimming  Special needs programs Agenda Item # 3  High School swimming‐ Fort Collins currently has no school pools, unlike its neighbor community Loveland  Youth involvement in an effort to combat childhood obesity *Most of the above programs can produce a recurring revenue stream for the City similar to EPIC. Beyond satisfying the needs identified in the Feasibility Study, a pool structure that would support competitive swimming will also create added benefits to the community by drawing visitors from inside Colorado, as well as outside as they attend three day swim meets. All of these visitors will support the local community by staying in our hotels, eating in our restaurants, and shopping in our stores. Since we view FAST as in interested party in the plans for a new Community Recreation Center, as residents, parents, participants and voters, we also consulted with a specialist at US Swimming, Mick Nelson (Facilities Development Director‐ USA Swimming) who regularly consults on pools for community programming. He reviews 100s of feasibility studies each year in order to provide guidance to communities in an effort to develop financially sustainable community aquatic programs. Over 1100 pools closed in the United States last year because they did not have the proper pools for community programming (17 in Colorado). We don’t want this to be the case in Fort Collins. Our expert suggests that the leisure pool concept has not been considered a mainstay for community centers in over 20 years. US Swimming has done a lot of work in this area to help communities make financially sustainable solutions. The FAST Board would welcome an opportunity to provide additional input on the proposed Community Recreation Center and provide contact to the many national organizations that consult on this topic regularly. We believe the City of Fort Collins and its active athletic community deserves a facility that will further support the growth of athletics and swimming from learn to swim, club and high school swimming, to adult swimming programs and rehabilitation. Respectfully Submitted, FAST Board of Directors Lance Holter – President Randy Pritchard – Vice President Scott Thull ‐ Treasurer Bill Bartel – Secretary Chris Webb – Head Coach Krista Nero Sandy Hicks Jennifer Kovac Kipp Glover *Please contact Bill Bartel (bill.bartel@gmail.com / 970‐215‐9661) with any question or comments.