The time has come... the exciting news everyone has been waiting for... here we go... are you ready for this?... Let's gooooooooo! {anticipation mounting}
The San Carlos Pickleball Association has entered into an agreement to purchase land for the construction of a new Pickleball facility. With the growth of our sport, the increased demand in our area, and the desire for us to continue our passion without the fear of being shut down, the Board members (and others) have actively been looking to relocate for over a year. It is finally happening.
This note will introduce you to the project, give you the who, what, where, when and how, and get you excited about what is to follow in the upcoming season.
Let's start with a little recap. If you haven't been to the six courts at Mirador recently, you will be in shock when you see the construction going on. It is a completely different place. The courts are surrounded by houses and construction, the restaurant has moved out and left a vacant building, and the players, even in a year of COVID, keep coming and filling the courts during all hours of the day. Our future stay at the courts is uncertain, the maintenance costs on our rented courts are growing, and there is no potential to expand courts, programming, or playing times.
What we we're looking for....
We wanted to purchase our own land. By being owners we wouldn't have the fear of being displaced ever again and we could build as we see fit (fencing and lighting, space for parking, optimal layout, etc.). We wanted flat land off of a major paved road. We wanted at least 5000m2. We wanted to be closer to the middle of town. We wanted no restrictions. We wanted to pay less than market value. We wanted to pay for the land by making payments. And we didn't want to pay interest. hahahaha. Guess what? We got it all!!!!!!!
We got a 9000 m2 lot that is flat and perfectly rectangular 50m x 180m. It has water and power to it and just off the main road. It is close to town, but just far enough that there are no restrictions. We can have lights and tournaments and parking for all. We will be paying $25/m2 in five equal installments every year beginning Oct 31st (Going rate seems to be around $35-40/m2).
What we plan on doing....
We will be building a facility with 16 courts. We have room for more. Depending on how the funds come in, we may have to build eight courts then add eight later. The facility will have several shade palapas, permanent seating, nice landscaping, extra wide and long courts individually fenced. This facility will be the premier Pickleball destination in all of Latin America.
Timeline....
We need to start raising many ASAP so that we can 1) make our first payment by Oct 31st and 2) start construction. Renderings will be completed this summer and the drawings will be posted for you to see. We are looking into having the land properly excavated and marked out this summer as well. As Fall comes and everyone starts rolling back into town the real fun will start. If the funds keep coming in, we hope to start construction during the Fall months. Construction will take about 6 months so we could be done sometime in Spring 2022. Although it would be fantastic to be able to plan and open up the courts at that time, realistically, we have to expect our grand opening to be the beginning of the 2022/23 season (Oct 1, 2022). Next year we will be able to still play at Mirador as far as we know. We will be holding smaller tournaments, workshops, and programs throughout the season as best we can given the current situation at Mirador. We will also put together a committee that will piece together what our court programming will look like once the new facility is open. With world class courts we will need a world class schedule; a schedule that has something for everyone. We're envisioning morning open play, evening drop-in play under the lights, courts that are strictly designated for reservations only (in case you have a private group that doesn't want to be bothered), beginner workshops, skills and drills, leveled play, and visiting pro clinics. We want to put together a schedule that doesn't leave anyone behind and makes it easy for every player in our community to want to be a part of everything that is happening here in San Carlos.
Included in that schedule will be the regular scheduling of tournaments. We have already been in contact with leaders from the PPA (Professional Pickleball Association) and the APP (Association of Pickleball Professionals). They want to come to San Carlos and are waiting for us to give them the go ahead. The 1st Annual Mexican National Tournament being put on by the Liga de Pickleball Mexico will be held this September in Queretaro. For those of you not familiar with the IFP (International Federation of Pickleball), they hold an annual tournament called the Bainbridge Cup. This tournament travels from country to country similar to the Olympics. Let's bring the Bainbridge Cup to San Carlos!
Ok, enough with the fun stuff. Let's get down to business. As stated above, we need 1) to make our first payment of $45,000 by Oct 31st and 2) start constructing at a cost quoted by one architect of about $200,000.
We have plans for several fundraising events for this upcoming season. We are going to have a special dinner and silent auction, we are going to be asking local businesses for corporate sponsorships by "purchasing" a court, and we will be selling merchandise with our new logo. More info on those happenings will come out when everyone is back in town. Currently we've already secured a few donations. Gearbox Pickleball has generously agreed to provide the nets and posts for the courts, and we're getting the state of the art Acrytech Sports Surface the Official PPA Court Surface at cost.
What can you do NOW: There are three things that we are going to be asking members to consider this summer before you return to San Carlos, so that we can make that first payment and get a jumpstart on construction.
1) Donate: We are going to build a beautiful donor Wall of Appreciation. This will be a great backdrop that will be used for our medal podium pictures. Right now we're just getting ideas, but it will involve decorative engraved stones or tiles that are incorporated into the wall. Your donation will get you a tile that you can have engraved with your name. There will be three levels of donors. Your level of donation will be recognized within the wall or engraved into the tiles TBD. You don't need to know what you want engraved yet. It will be a while before we start building the wall.
* Gold Medal: $1000
** Silver Medal: $500
*** Bronze Medal: $250
**** There is a 4th level of donation. That is the Platinum level. If you would like to donate more than the specified donor amounts above. Reach out to me or one of the other Board Members and we will be more than happy to facilitate your donation.
2) Loan: If you have $10,000 or more just lying around burning a hole in your pocket and you would like to loan the San Carlos Pickleball Association that money with no interest, again, talk to one of the Board Members and we'll be happy to take your money and discuss how the Club will pay that loan back.
3) Pay your Dues: Typically players have waited until they come into town and paid in person for their season pass. That may be too late for us so we are asking for you to pay your upcoming season's dues this summer. Yes, dues will be increasing, and will continue to increase in small increments in years to follow. You can curb inflation though. We are offering the opportunity to pay for up to five years of membership and lock in today's rate.
So that's it, in a very long nutshell. It is going to be a fun ride and we're looking forward to seeing what lies ahead for the San Carlos Pickleball Association as we grow.
SCPB
