Is Reston Any Closer To Indoor Tennis?

Nearly a year ago, . Build an indoor facility in Reston, and not only will people use it, it will pay for itself within a few years.

That was at the end of 2010. As the calendar nears the end of 2011 - and the Reston Association lays out its budget for the following fiscal year - the movement has taken only baby steps.

In other words, don't try and get an indoor court reservation any time soon.

"From a staff standpoint, the committees have been plugging away," said Larry Butler, Reston Association Director of Parks and Recreation. "Now it is up to the board to decide."

This year will come and go without a community referendum on the indoor tennis issue. Will there be one in 2012? Perhaps. The RA Board of Directors is currently working on next year's budget and deciding whether to allocate the approximately $75,000 needed for a community referendum.

A referendum gets the issue on the ballot for RA members to vote on it. If the issue passes, then RA is authorized to start spending money to design and build the tennis facility.

Outlining and Completing Tasks

In a motion last January, Among the highlights:

By the end of February, RA staff would review the 10-year projections for financing costs, construction costs and revenue projections.

By the end of May, those projections would be presented to the RA fiscal committee, which would compare them with previous projections. The report would also be reviewed by tennis advisory committee and parks and planning advisory committee.

By the end of July, there were supposed to be public hearings. there have not been any others.

"From a general perspective of many years, progress on a community-wide referendum on indoor tennis has been excruciatingly slow and has stalled repeatedly at the RA board level for one reason or the other," says Sridhar Ganesan, a member of the tennis advisory committee.

"I think that there has been some progress made this year, but then it is very slow and everything takes a lot more time than it should or needs," he said.  "Progress has been made in many of the tasks that the Board laid out.  Hopefully, the board will at least now move to a referendum quickly."

The proposed $3.8 million indoor facility would feature five courts and would be open year-round at Lake Newport.

The largest moneymakers from the facility will come from adult and junior lessons, as well as rental fees from organizations such as the United States Tennis Association (USTA). An earlier study estimated (assuming 60 percent usage)  a revenue of $648,651 in the first year, rising to more than $1 million by the fifth year, and a profit after about two years.

The board previously approved up to $4,000 to be spent reviewing projections for revenue and expenses. Butler said the two pro forma studies have stayed within that total.

Show Me The Money

At the September RA board meeting, RA CFO David Hopkins presented financing options as part of the 2011 timeline. None have been approved by the board, but it shows examples of how the association - and members - would pay for the facility (the complete PDF and explanation is attached to this story).

There are three financing proposals:

1. Commercial Bank Option 1 -  Loan amount $4,400,000;
100 percent financing, including $550K working capital.  Average cost per member unit over first 20 years is $5.60 per year

2. Commercial Bank Option 2- Loan amount $4,400,000; 100 percent financing, including $550K working capital. Average cost per member unit over first 20 years is $4.59 per year.

3. Private Bond Financing -  Loan amount $5,640,000; 100 percent  financing, including $550K working capital. Average cost per member unit over first 20 years is $2.94 per year.

Some members of the community have been skeptical of building a facility that will be an amenity to only a select group of people in Reston. Others don't want the annual assessment to rise to pay for it if they are not going to use it.

Members of the Tennis Advisory Committee recently submitted a fact sheet for RA Board members to review as they get closer to making a referendum decision. In it, the advisory committee said "it is challenging to quantify the total number of residents and non residents taking advantage of Reston's tennis resources because the courts are not monitored full time."

The tennis advisory committee estimates:

* Its programs reach between 2,000 and 2,500 local players each season.

* Without an extensive survey, it is "impossible" to know the exact number of RA members who are currently using seven indoor facilities within a 20-mile radius of Reston.

* 801 total lesson participants took part so far in 2011 (up from 750 all of 1010 and 554 in 2009). There were 403 players in league play (in 2010, there were 394; 392 in 2009).

Ganesan says he is confident indoor tennis is something Reston needs.

 "In general, there is a lot of frustration and fatigue among tennis advocates on this issue," he said.  "For over two decades, the tennis advocates have been supporting the need for an indoor facility.

"The RA itself has a top-rated tennis program and staff," he said. "Yet, while many neighboring towns and cities have indoor tennis facilities, it is frustrating for tennis advocates to face such an uphill task just to get the RA Board to go to a public referendum. Let's not let another generation grow old without the benefits of year-round tennis."

For more indoor tennis info click here.