Club Management - September/October 2007 - (Page 19) Building & Facilities Management Facility Planning – It’s a Necessity By Charles D. Dorn, CCM F or the past 10 to 15 years, club managers have been inundated with the concept of planning for their clubs. This often takes the form of strategic planning and membership planning. However, rarely has anyone discussed or delved into the idea of Long-Term Facility Planning (LTFP). Planning in clubhouses is not a new development. A club looking to rebuild or expand a facility will evaluate its existing property. If a club is looking to expand or replace a clubhouse, the old facility will help shape the new one. A favorite room, view or design concept may be integrated into the new clubhouse. LTFP addresses a different issue. On a daily basis, managers are faced with facility decisions. Some are obvious. A room need- ing to be repainted may call for little more than plaster and paint. A tennis court needs resurfacing or a pool deck must be replaced. These are basic decisions often handled without much planning. However, club managers are aware of problems in the walls, below the deck or below ground. Convincing the House Committee or Board of Governors often can prove thankless or impossible. Knowing these problems are invisible to the untrained eye, how do you as a manager prepare yourself to deal with them? By utilizing LTFP you will have the tools to do your job more easily, efficiently and professionally. To begin the process, complete a detailed evaluation of the facility. This evaluation should be undertaken by outside professionals. There are two primary components in an LTFP. An engineering analysis will provide you an up-to-date record of your mechanical systems and life safety components, and an architectural evaluation will provide you with a front-of-the-house view. An engineering firm with broad expertise will give you the most unbiased information. The firm ideally should have experience in the club or hospitality industry and be able to analyze the clubhouse and other facilities with experts in each area of concern. Areas to evaluate include heating, ventilation and air conditioning, electric, plumbing and life safety. An architectural review should be conducted covering the clubhouse and other facilities in your club. This review must cover both the public areas and support areas. The architect must have experience in the hospitality industry, or the club runs the risk of basing its long-term plan on a report that may not be totally credible. SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007 • 19
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