More about the awfully nice furniture:
The Board would like to address some of the misconceptions and criticisms we have received in regard to the new furniture. But first a little history. Initially, back in the days when we only had 8 courts, the only “furniture” we had was one three-tiered aluminum bleacher. No chairs, no tables, and no pavilion. When more courts were added and the pavilion was built, the club did away with the bleachers and purchased cement furniture; tables and curved benches for the pavilion, benches for the breezeways, along with pub-height tables and chairs. Complaints about that furniture were received – too hard, not movable, awful color, etc. Fast forward a few years, and the Board purchased the last set of furniture that had cushions. One of our members took it upon themselves to complain to the HOA Board about how dreadful the “colorful” cushions were. CAM then issued us an order to go out and buy matching cushions for all of the furniture. Unfortunately, the only cushions that could be found in a large enough quantity was the blue and white striped cushions which did not fit any of the chairs properly. Again, complaints about that furniture were received – too big, too high, people slipping off the cushions, dirty, unsanitary, etc.
Though that furniture was serviceable, the Board found that any furniture that required cushions was not suitable for many reasons, one of which is the sweat dripping from two thousand club members and another fifteen hundred non-club member residents who use the courts. The cushions needed twice-yearly cleaning and sanitizing. By this summer, those cushions had far outlived their usefulness. Simply put, they were filthy and disgusting. In addition, the chairs themselves were rusting and falling apart creating a hazard to anyone sitting on them.
Purchasing new furniture was the only option. Therefore, the Board authorized member-at-large, Pam Speer, to begin investigating different options for furniture suitable for a high-use sports venue. Pam traveled to various pickleball facilities within the valley to see what type of furniture was being used and found that furniture without cushions was standard practice.
Pam and Troy then met with sales representatives who sold Polywood (Trex) furniture. They came to our courts and gave their expert opinion on what they thought would be the best choice for our club. The new furniture was selected for comfort, sanitation, ease of cleaning and durability. Before purchasing the furniture, it needed to be approved by the color/aesthetics committee and the HOA Board of Directors. The HOA Board has now placed furniture in the amount of $36,000 into the reserve system so that if and when this furniture needs to be replaced, it will not come solely out of club funds.
It was always the intent of the Board to make an initial purchase of this new Polywood furniture and, after being received, reassess to see whether additional pieces would be needed.
The Board understands that regardless of what furniture is selected, it will not suit everyone’s needs or wants. But we hope that this explanation clears up some questions, complaints and misconceptions about the new furniture.
As always, we Thank You for your input
Stay cool and safe,
Troy