Before being suspended, RIOC President/CEO Shelton J. Haynes announced that Sportspark membership had exceeded 1,000. That was inaccurate. Membership was even higher and stands at 2,150 today. That’s good news, even though it’s not enough.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
A Sportspark membership spreadsheet provided by RIOC in a freedom of information response shows revenue of over $50,320 every month currently. But between those numbers lies an unfortunate truth – Sportspark loses money. Every month.
A practical idea went grand – to the tune of $12 million – and after overseers shot down Haynes’s original membership rates, the finances fell short too. RIOC is now seeking an additional $2 million for waterproofing in what seems a project without end.
What Went Wrong with Sportspark
The facility was a key part of serving the Roosevelt Island community. It served a relatively isolated population on its home grounds, an easy walk or Red Bus ride away.
For years, though, it lingered in disrepair. Updating was a prime topic at multiple board meetings as members sought space in the capital budget. Then a board member, Dr. Kathy Grimm pleaded for just modern showers and locker rooms.
Finally, money in hand, RIOC shut down the facility and began rebuilding from top to bottom. It’s possible that the sights were set too high from the start, but they went even higher.
Haynes aimed for a first-class, refreshed facility, and to a large extent, he got that. It took over half a year longer than promised, but don’t all construction projects run past their scheduled finish lines?
There was more to it, RIOC managers at the time say, and Haynes’s vision exceeded what Roosevelt Islanders wanted. It’s a good finish, as membership numbers show, but it’s also more than we can afford.
The Equinox Dilemma
Preparing to reopen Sportspark in the spring, Haynes published membership charges far higher than any before, numbers more befitting a Manhattan Equinox location than a small town with a middle-class base. Many residents couldn’t afford the fees. An uproar ensued.
The facility Haynes built out may be worth the high rates in the abstract, but community life is real, not abstract. Appeals flew over his head to board members, elected officials and the governor’s team in Albany.
In short order, Haynes gracefully abandoned his original fee structure in favor of a much lower community-oriented plan. It was warmly accepted, except there was a major problem.
The facility, now ready to go, staffed and polished, required far greater income than the new rates could provide, let alone pay back on its $12 million investment.
Without anyone saying so and obscured in RIOC’s overall budget, Sportspark joined the Tram and Red Buses in bleeding red ink. You can argue that those losses are unavoidable in RIOC’s role of serving Roosevelt Island’s unique community.
That’s true but not by so much.
Sportspark Through Clear Lenses
“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate,” Strother Martin told Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke.
We see that a lot on Roosevelt Island. In terms of Sportspark, none of the groups involved were talking. Without talking, consensus is impossible.
RIOC executives acted independently of community consent while its board of directors failed to do their job in oversight. It was like Haynes sped up a freight train, and the board gathered like an audience. Haynes can’t be blamed alone. Every step in creating the mess was approved by higher-ups.
Community members and elected officials were sidelined. That accounted for the uproar when the original membership rates were announced.
While that monthly income from membership – $50,320 – looks great, it’s too low for the facility as it now operates. Management salaries and benefits alone eat up at least two-thirds of that. Then, you’ve got lifeguards, insurance, operations and other daily staffing.
The numbers don’t add up, and the $12 million invested looks like grease for a slide into an unfortunate future. Rates will have to go up, but in the meantime, as with so much else, Roosevelt Islanders – with no help from Albany – will foot all the bills.
With the potential for new management at RIOC arriving, hopes may exceed short-term options available for fixes. There’s a long way to go with little evidence that RIOC’s overseers and board are up to the task of supporting the changes needed.
The Emergency Was Always Underground
The steam plant and the steam tunnel were never two problems. They were one system. They were only separated later, when separating them made development easier and responsibility harder to pin down.
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