Renovation of a fitness / recreation center in Huntersville, North Carolina. Completed plans call for the renovation of a fitness / recreation center.

**As of January 02, 2024, this project has not yet been awarded. The project is expected to be awarded in a few months.** Questions will be accepted through December 13, 2023. The Town of Huntersville, North Carolina, seeks Requests for Proposals from interested private sector firms to provide full-service management for the Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatic Center ("HFFA") located at 11725 Verhoeff Drive, Huntersville, NC. The Huntersville Family Fitness and Aquatics (HFFA) facility operates as an enterprise fund for the Town of Huntersville. It is intended to be a self-supporting enterprise with minimal/no financial support from the Town's General Fund. At the same time, the facility strives for balance as a community asset, offering scholarships for memberships, programs, and services as appropriate and providing sponsorship opportunities to community businesses and organizations to generate revenue and support facility operations. Its location on Verhoeff Drive sits right across the street from the Huntersville Recreation Center (multi-court facility) and Huntersville Athletic Park, creating a sports corridor of sorts. THE FACILITY: HFFA is a Town of Huntersville facility that opened in 2001. The 88,000 square foot facility presently includes full aquatic and fitness activities, and consists of: o 50-meter Olympic-size pool with a 10-meter diving tower o 25-meter (warm water) pool o Outdoor family fun pool/splash area o Full court gymnasium o Complete fitness center (commercial fitness equipment replaced in fall 2021) o Classroom space for programs and services for children (preschool, birthday parties, and summer camps) o Group exercise studio Through the years, HFFA has hosted regional, national, and international swimming and diving events and has been an asset to the Charlotte regional sports scene in partnership with the Charlotte Sports Commission and Visit Lake Norman, in addition to hosting a number of local and regional swimming and diving events, 5k, 10K, triathlons and other branded events for all ages and abilities. HFFA has also been an active community partner and works with local healthcare providers like Novant and Atrium to offer access to the facility for health-related programs and offerings, assistive therapy, classes, etc. HFFA also provides an environment where a number of independent contractors in the personal training and/or health and fitness arena have found opportunities to engage new clients. CURRENT INITIATIVES AND PROJECTS AFFECTING FACILITY/OPERATIONS: At the time of this RFP, the Town and its current management services provider are in the midst of a $2 million project to replace the HVAC in the 50M pool area. Earlier this year, a new vendor, MSS, was selected to install the new system that includes two dehumidification units, replacement of return duct and removal of existing supply ductwork and installation of fabric ducts. The bulk of the work is planned to be completed by May 2024, prior to the start of the next contract. Replacement of the existing metal duct work with a fabric duct system is envisioned to occur in August 2024, when the demands of the 50m pool are typically their lowest. The removal of existing supply duct and installation of new fabric duct will require the 50m pool to be shut down for at least 3 weeks as scaffolding will be required on the pool deck for access. The current FY24 budget for HFFA is nearly $3.75 million and is available as an attachment to this RFP. Previous years' budgets and audited financials are available through the Town's website. These budget pages also include operating capital requests. The only item planned for FY24 is replacement of a gas pool heater/boiler. EXPECTATIONS OF APPLICANT: A qualified applicant will be expected to be responsible for: maintenance of aquatic and recreation facilities; able to provide regular scheduling of activities; effectively maintain relationships, such as those with various swim and diving programs that use the facility; operate the fitness center and oversee its use; work with healthcare providers who use the facility for rehabilitation and related purposes; recruit and host regional and even national swimming and diving events; increase membership in the facility; market the HFFA for outside use; and to provide all business and management services needed to adequately serve members, partners and operate the facility. The applicant will be responsible for setting up their own technology within the facility necessary to facilitate day to day operations. This should include computers and copiers, cameras and storage, modems and wi-fi, email, security (servers, firewalls, network, etc.) and demonstrate a secure method for processing customer transactions. Software used to draft credit/banking information would need to be fully vetted. The Town of Huntersville maintains the phone system for HFFA and will work with the selected facility manager to assign numbers. For further information and/or questions regarding the content of this Request for Proposals, please contact Bobby Williams, Assistant Town Manager, at bwilliams@huntersville.org. All questions must be submitted in writing. Questions will be accepted through December 13, 2023. An addendum will be posted to the Town's website with answers to questions received through that date.