Tennis Court Repair

Started by StevenL5 • 14 replies • 1821 views

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StevenL5 (Georgia)
Posts: 2

Posted:

We have two tennis courts in a subdivision of just under 250 single family homes. The courts were built at the start of our development back in 1995-1996.
There were some cracks in the courts that appeared last year that we paid a bit under $20k for surface repairing.
Now, some more cracks have appeared and the consensus is that settling is occurring under the courts.
We got an unofficial estimate of over $75k just to completely resurface the courts, and this doesn't cover the other costs for foundation repair (no quotes on this yet)!
Our annual dues brings us in about $100k per year, with a reserve of about $30k.
This one time hit of probably close to $100k for court repair will deplete the small reserve we have. We were thinking special assessment, but just raised the dues last year $50 a home, so a special assessment may not go over well.
We realize this is a potential turning point in the neighborhood remaining attractive to future homeowners or being relegated to a second-class neighborhood.
What suggestion do others have regarding this? Obviously, we'll get better quotes and may find some less costly, but we'd like to know some other suggestions.

SusanW1 (Michigan)
Posts: 5,202

Posted:

How do you know for SURE if this is really still an amenity for your subidvision? See just how much they are being used.

Maybe do just one, and turn the the other one into a nice walking park.

StevenL5 (Georgia)
Posts: 2

Posted:

Our subdivision has a tennis team and our courts are part of the circuit of weekly league and tournament play. The regional tennis association of which the team is a part is threatening termination of our membership unless repairs are made.
The loss of one or both of these courts would be a tremendous blow to the neighborhood's ability to attract and keep homeowners.

I personally don't play tennis, so I like your idea of re-purposing one of the courts!
Steve

SusanW1 (Michigan)
Posts: 5,202

Posted:

Well, you are going to have to take a survey on their use.

Large percentage of residents using the courts?
or is this expenditure for a small percentage of people on tennis teams?

What would be the worst thing to happen, if they were removed? (Teams play at the local high school?)

GeorgerwilliamsW (Indiana)
Posts: 975

Posted:

This is an example, I think, of what is going to eventually happen to many condos and homeowners associations. As structures age, repairs are going to overwhelm the owners' ability to pay. At some point it is going to become uneconomic.

I have a friend living in a nearly 80 year old Chicago high rise co-op that is facing a difficult situation. The building is in need of serious structural maintenance in the 10 of millions of dollars that (1) the owners cannot afford and (2) is not supported by the market.

Were this a rental apartment building, most likely the owner would demolish it.

There has been far too little--if any--though given to the endgame in homeowners associations. At some point all those condo buildings in Florida will require more maintenance than they are worth. They are not going to last forever. What then?

Steven, your association may have to borrow the money. Or it could bite the bullet and plow them under (which may require a special assessment to fund), deciding that they have become uneconomic to maintain.

This repair expense may be so onerous that a decision calls out for a vote of association members. It may not be a decision a wise board should make.

hoatalk (California)
Posts: 603

Posted:

This brings up an interesting point: Must the board fund repairs of amenities?

The owners buy into a community because it has certain amenities like a pool, park, trails, tennis, etc. It seems the board must/should maintain these unless the members vote to demolish them.

Thoughts?

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MicheleD (Kentucky)
Posts: 4,491

Posted:

Good question.

And I would guess it goes back to the governing documents.

Our association does NOT have any amenities. (we have a retention basin that we fondly refer to as a "lake," but that's it.)

However, in one place in our documents we are given the responsibility to maintain any and all amenities we may have now or acquire in the future.

Which is one reason we're hesitant to add a gazebo!

KirkW1 (Texas)
Posts: 1,665

Posted:

Quote:

...The loss of one or both of these courts would be a tremendous blow to the neighborhood's ability to attract and keep homeowners...

Sorry, but that sounds like marketing manure. Particularly the part about keeping homeowners. With the budget you mention I seriously doubt that more then a few owners can afford to move on a whim (or simply because the HOA no longer hosts tennis tournaments).

Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt that having the tournaments gives good exposure to your neighborhood from potential owners. But perhaps you should include in a survey "What brought your attention to our neighborhood?" I would bet less then five respond about the tournaments.

Consider also how many people actually participate on the team? Certainly some people who don't participate will still support having the team. But again, you would be shocked how few care.

Your real problem could well be that a very few select people who benefit are the loud ones. I would do a survey as Susan suggested. Really work at getting responses. Then call a meeting to discuss options. Get some other quotes and look for alternatives. For instance, what would it take to convert to grass courts? Quite frankly if $100k it is a band aid. And if accurate will prevent me from ever considering a neighborhood with courts. I can not believe that municipalities really pay that for court maintenance.

GeorgerwilliamsW (Indiana)
Posts: 975

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By hoatalk on 09/13/2008 6:51 AM
This brings up an interesting point: Must the board fund repairs of amenities?

The owners buy into a community because it has certain amenities like a pool, park, trails, tennis, etc. It seems the board must/should maintain these unless the members vote to demolish them.

Thoughts?

Excellent thought! But let's use terms correctly. The board does not fund repairs or maintain the common elements. The association funds repairs and maintains the common elements. The board is elected to make the decisions. (Maybe this confusion of terms feeds the abuse that we see from many boards.)

Here is what our declaration states:

Section 1. The Common Area.

Unfortunately, as I noted earlier, the covenants are silent when it comes to a decision to remove amenities.

GeorgerwilliamsW (Indiana)
Posts: 975

Posted:

Steven is the best person to address your concerns, but I will stick my neck out. Based on his earlier posting, these are competition courts--not your run of the mill municipal park--or apartment building--asphalt tennis courts. And, yes, competition tennis courts are incredibly expensive to maintain. His numbers are not out of the question.

Since I once owned and maintained a clay tennis court, I know something about this issue. Frankly, I am delighted to no longer have that expense. At least, I did not have a swimming pool.

My sense is that this is a vote for the owners, not the board, to make.

hoatalk (California)
Posts: 603

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By GeorgerwilliamsW on 09/13/2008 7:05 AM

By 'fund' I meant take action to get the project done.

For example: (1) Decide to pull funds from existing accounts to pay the bill; (2) Decide to get a loan; (3) Decide to have a special assessment.

This is how the board 'funds' the project in the way I used the term.

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MicheleD (Kentucky)
Posts: 4,491

Posted:

Quote:

Posted By KirkW1 on 09/13/2008 6:58 AM

Don't get me wrong, I don't doubt that having the tournaments gives good exposure to your neighborhood from potential owners. But perhaps you should include in a survey "What brought your attention to our neighborhood?" I would bet less then five respond about the tournaments.

Consider also how many people actually participate on the team? Certainly some people who don't participate will still support having the team. But again, you would be shocked how few care.

Kirk's comments here just threw up a flag for me.

Apparently the association is responsible for the ongoing maintenance of the tennis courts.

However - and I could be stretching it here, but I don't think so - I'm guessing that there is a correlation between amount of activity/use with normal wear and tear, and possibly accelerated wear and tear due to high traffic/use due to tournament activities.

The courts were probably designed and installed with the idea that they were amenities for the RESIDENTS and their guests, and not necessarily as a tournament circuit host court.

If I were a resident in the community, I would be reticent to fund a tournament-class tennis court, as opposed to a more recreational-class tennis court, without first looking into obtaining some tournament usage fee that would fund a court maintenance account.

It seems to me the tournament circuit is getting a free ride: using up (wear and tear) someone else's property without having to contribute to its maintenance.

PeterB1 (Florida)
Posts: 257

Posted:

Not to divert this thread...

Perhaps the costs are higher in Georgia than in Florida. We just got bids to resurface our 2 courts. The bids ranged from $8,000 to $15,000 and this included the fiberglass mat to repair larger cracks. Maybe someone should check on the accuracy of the bids you received.

peter

SusanW1 (Michigan)
Posts: 5,202

Posted:

But Peter brings up a good point. Are these courts for competitive play or for casual use of the residents?

KirkW1 (Texas)
Posts: 1,665

Posted:

Why indeed should the entire neighborhood fund some competition? You are talking about spending 75% of the amount of one year's budget so a few homes can participate in one of their tournaments. What is in it for the other 245 home owners?

Indeed, if there is a team and they use this as part of a tournament circuit, then the team and tournament should be paying a huge share of the cost.

Were I a homeowner I would not vote to repair the court. I would say good riddance to the the tournament moving to another location. Let them leach off someone else. Keep in mind that the $75k will buy you a few years at best. I would want to leave them as is for a few years. When the court becomes too bad rip it out and do what some cities do: use road asphalt.

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