|
6
<br /> Financially, the SportsPlex looks most like a private entity
<br /> On the one hand, the SportsPlex has all the appearance of a private operation. The building was built
<br /> entirely with funds obtained through the sale of private bonds held by Eaton-Vance of Boston. Orange
<br /> County did not finance any part of the construction. The bonds are not guaranteed by Orange County or
<br /> any other government agency, and are to be paid back entirely out of operating revenues.
<br /> The SportsPlex also pays property tax at the full rate, currently$92,000 per year(in round
<br /> numbers). Of this, $31,000 goes to the Town of Hillsborough. This is the largest single property tax
<br /> collection made by the Town of Hillsborough. It accounts for approximately 3% of total tax collections
<br /> by the Town and 1.15% of the Town's general fund operating budget of$2.7 million.
<br /> Financially, the SportsPlex sometimes looks public
<br /> Orange County contributes $400,000 annually to the operating budget. This contribution, which
<br /> accounts for 20% of the approximately$2,000,000 annual expense budget, is essentially for pool operations,
<br /> since the original interest of Orange County government in the SportsPlex was to have a pool for the
<br /> northern reaches of the county. This commitment by the County, which extends through the first 10 years of
<br /> operation, was a key element in securing the bonds for construction.
<br /> Because of this financial commitment, Orange County names one less than a majority of the Board
<br /> members (Table 1).
<br /> Eventually, the facility will be totally public: Under the bond arrangement, OCCAC will cede full
<br /> ownership of the SportsPlex to Orange County when the construction debt is paid off. In the meantime,
<br /> Orange County has no ownership stake in the building or land.
<br /> County personnel assist the Board
<br /> The Board also receives invaluable assistance from the Orange County Finance Director Ken Chavious
<br /> and Bob Jones and Frank Hartig of the Orange County Parks and Recreation Department. These individuals
<br /> attend virtually every Board meeting, and do so on their own time.
<br /> A professional management team handles day-today operations
<br /> The SportsPlex is managed by the firm Recreational Management Services Corporation, a
<br /> Pennsylvania-based company specializing in oversight of complex sports facilities in seven states. RMSC
<br /> hired Mike Robertson and Jack Bollinger to be the on-site managers for the SportsPlex. Strong back-up
<br /> support in business strategy, marketing and operations comes from RMSC headquarters staff. Mike and
<br /> Jack are paid directly by the SportsPlex, while RMSC receives a monthly fee. Mike oversees operations and
<br /> programs, and Jack is the office manager and handles some accounting responsibilities.
<br /> The SportsPlex also employs a full time sales person, Carolyn Southard, and a full-time aquatics
<br /> director, Rusty Kretz. Carolyn is the sales interface with the public, ready to arrange participation by
<br /> groups in any of the programs of the SportsPlex and to develop new programs. Rusty runs the aquatics
<br /> center and conducts or supervises all of the aquatics instruction.
<br /> Who uses the SportsPlex?
<br /> Because of its nature and privacy issues, the SportsPlex cannot keep complete demographic data on its
<br /> patrons. However, since the present management team took over in September, 1996, four extensive
<br /> sources of data have been built up: holders of subscriptions to the facility, a voluntary mailing list, church
<br /> groups, and schools and non-church groups. These are shown in Table 3, or graphically in Figures 1-3, for
<br /> the period September, 1996 through March, 1997.
<br /> The data show several things. First, of the 902 individuals using the SportsPlex on a subscription basis
<br /> (single, couple, or family "memberships"), 538 have a Hillsborough mailing address (Table 3a). That is
<br /> 10.9% of the total Hillsborough population of 4,892 (official NC estimate)! Clearly, the SportsPlex is
<br /> popular in Hillsborough and has made a difference to a large segment of the town's population.
<br /> Secondly, although Chapel Hill and Carrboro residents are typically not members of the SportsPlex
<br /> (shown in Table 3a), they do use it. Forty percent of the 4,161 individuals on the mailing list are from
<br /> Report to the Orange County Commissioners 5 May, 1997 page 4
<br />
|