P

1. What can you do today to protect the future
of your Athletic Programs
SCAP Branch Conference
Myrtle Beach , SC
December, 2013
Tom O’Rourke
Executive Director
Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission
Charleston, SC 29412
www.ccprc.com/orourke

2. 2025

3.  Kemper, Billy Casper, and Troon manage 450 golf
courses owned by a city, county, or park district.
 Hospitals partner with parks and recreation agencies
on a regular basis to either construct new facilities or
to have a community outreach element that includes
physical and occupational therapy.
 Companies like Westport Pools manage swimming
facilities across the US. Many of these sites are owned
by a city, county, or park district.
 Tennis management firms oversee local public
recreation agency tennis program.
 Indianapolis has just gone out for Proposals for
Private Contractors to take over every element of the
Parks and Recreation Department. All Staff were let
go.

4. What are the Threats?
 Funding
 Outside Private Sports Providers
 Not enough facilities
 Support from Administration

5. Solutions

6. The Main Question
 Will Youth Sports Participation Go Down in the
Future?

7. How to Protect Your Future
 Have a VISION of what the Youth Athletic
Program in you Community will be.
 Have a plan to make sure YOU are in CONTROL
of everything that goes on in your Community.
 SELL the Greatness of your program

8. Vision
•A comprehensive Athletic program for all athletic
levels on great facilities, with great coach's, and an
emphasis on instruction, performance and fun.

9. •Control

10. Do You want to…
 … be around in the future?
 … make sure youth participants are being treated
fairly?
 …get rid of idiot coaches and parents?
 … have control over every single sport being
played in your facilities?

11. “Control” is guided by The Golden Rule
Whoever has the GOLD makes the RULES

12. Add up the gold – You have
• The Fields – HUGE!
• The staff that maintains the fields
• Access to public financial information
• Bonding Capability
• Ability to raise all the money you want! Yes that true.
• Ability to do what is BEST for the actual participants. (
Is that going on now?)
• Ability to remove idiotic, self-serving, non-athletic,
moron coaches.

13. What Gold Do The Outside Providers
have?

14. So How do you take control?
• Win the Elected People
 Speak the language of taxation
 Understand Capital Bonding

15. Know how much your citizens are paying
in the way of taxes

16. Taxation Example
Recreation Department Budget
County or Municipal Government
Total Taxable Income $10 Million
Total Rec. Dept. Budget $ 1 Million
1
2
Total Budget
Rec. Budget 10%

17. $1,000,000 Recreation Department
Budget
Familiarize Yourself with the Following;
• What is the total tax bill on a $200,000 home.
If a citizen pays $400.00 year in taxes, and the
Recreation Department gets 10% of the total
budget, this person REALLY, pays $40.00/year for
Recreation Dept. Taxes.
NEXT – Know what that person is getting for their
$40.00

18. Calculating what that person gets
for their $40.00
300,000
250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Passive
Parks
Youth
Programs
Adult
Programs
Youth
Athletics
Adult
Athletics
Senior
Programs
Special
Events
Arts
Programs
Aquatic
Programs
Camps
Breakdown of the $1,000,000 Budget

19. Calculate the fees you collect
300,000
250,000
200,000
100,000
50,000
0
150,000
Passive
Parks
Youth
Programs
Adult
Programs
Youth
Athletics
Adult
Athletics
Senior
Programs
Special
Events Arts
Programs
Aquatic
Programs
Camps
Front Row = Budgeted Amount
Back Row = Fees Collected

20. Analyze The Data
300,000
250,000
200,000
100,000
50,000
0
150,000
Passive
Parks
Youth
Programs
Adult
Programs
Youth
Athletics
Adult
Athletics
Senior
Programs
Special
Events Arts
Programs
Aquatic
Programs
Camps
Front Row = Budgeted Amount - $1,000,000
Back Row = Fees Collected - $ 246,300

21. Understand Bonding

22. How much does it cost to build
this field?

23. One Full Size Baseball Field
• Baseball Field
 Electrical General 1,000
• Lighting 160,000
• Underdrain/Drainage 16,000
• Clay 6,000
• Fencing/Dugouts/Backstop 21,000
• Foul Poles 4,500
• Furnishings 5,000
• Irrigation 22,000
• Sod 44,000
• Rough Grade 38,000
• Fine Grade 18,000
• Clearing/Grubbing 14,000
• Total - $349,500
Soft Costs – 8% = $27,960
Contingency – 10% = $37,746
TOTAL FOR PROJECT
$416,206

24. How Do You Pay For It?
You first need to know
EXACTLY how much you need
You need $ 416,206…Right ?
NO !

25. Instead of $ 416,206
• Assuming a 5% interest rate
• Assuming paying back over 20 years
• $ 2,937 / Month
• $ 35,244 / Year

26. If you need $1,000,000
• Assuming a 5% interest rate
• Assuming paying back over 20 years
• $ 7,048 / Month
• $ 84,576 / Year

27. Bond Costs
• 1 million - $84,500 / year
• 5 million - $422,500/year
• 10 million - $845,000/year
• 20 million - $1,690,000/year

28. Where do you find the money
• Learn the details of your
Capital Budget

29. Negotiation Time!
• What they need – Fields and Money
• What you need – Control over the program

30. Focus should be on...
what do the customers need?
• A comprehensive Athletic program
for all athletic levels on great
facilities, with great coach's, and
an emphasis on instruction,
performance and fun.

31. Components of a Quality
Comprehensive Athletic Program
• Separate Enterprise Fund
• Advisory Group of Experts for all Sports – You choose,
limited terms
• Expert Administration – Registration, Financial, Team
Selection, Scheduling
• All Levels of Play satisfied – ALL LEVELS
• Expert Field maintenance
• Annual Reports

40. Don’t ever forget who you work for,
and always understand that it is your
responsibility to protect them.

41. Thank You
ccprc.com/orourke

42. The End