8.1. SR 07-18-2016 - Laserfiche WebLink

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MARKET ANALYSIS City of Elk River, MN Feasibility Study * Page 47 As a result, many communities have attempted to include these amenities in community recreation facilities. With the growth in youth sports and the high demand for school gyms, most communities are experiencing an acute lack of gymnasium space. Weight/cardiovascular space is also in high demand and provides a facility with the potential to generate significant revenues. More recently the demand for indoor turf areas to support more traditional outdoor team sports has grown exponentially. This has provided an important location for youth teams to train and play games to prepare for the traditional outdoor season and an opportunity to expand the market for adult sports leagues as well. The multi-component concept of delivering recreation services continues to grow in acceptance with the idea of providing for a variety of activities and programs in a single location. This idea has proven to be financially successful by centralizing operations for operators and through increased generation of revenues from patrons able to participate in multiple and varied leisure needs under the same roof. These facilities have become identifiable centers for communities, and have promoted "family" recreation opportunities. The keys to success revolve around the concept of intergenerational use in a quality facility that has multi-use capabilities and the versatility and flexibility to meet ever-changing leisure needs. Aquatic Activity and Facility Trends: Without a doubt the hottest trend in aquatics is the leisure pool concept. This idea of incorporating slides, current channels, fountains, zero depth entry and other water features into a pool’s design has proved to be extremely popular for the recreational user. The role of the conventional pool (6 to 8 lane lap pools with deep and cooler water) in meeting the recreational needs of swimmers has been greatly diminished. Leisure pools appeal to the younger children (who are the largest segment of the population that swim) and to families. These types of facilities are able to attract and draw larger crowds and people tend to come from a further distance and stay longer to utilize such pools. This all translates into the potential to sell more admissions and increase revenues. It is estimated conservatively that a leisure pool can generate between 20% and 30% more revenue than a comparable conventional pool and the cost of operation, while being higher, has been offset through increased revenues. Of note is the fact that patrons seem willing to pay a higher user fee at a leisure pool than a conventional aquatics facility. Another trend that is growing more popular in the aquatic’s field is the development of a raised temperature therapy pool for rehabilitation programs. This has usually been done in association with a local health care organization or a physical therapy clinic. The medical organization either provides capital dollars for the construction of the pool or agrees to purchase so many hours of pool time on an annual basis. This form of partnership has proven to be appealing to both the medical side and the organization that operates the facility. The medical sector receives the benefit of a larger aquatic center, plus other amenities that are available for their use, without the capital cost of building the structure. In addition, they are able to develop a much stronger community presence away from traditional medical settings. The facility operators have a APPENDIX B