News May 2020
HRCA and the CoVid-19 CRISIS
At the time of publication, HRCA facilities remain closed as a result of the mandatory closure of gym facilities by the Governor. In addition, all programs that would normally be held at our recreation centers have also been canceled and all events through the end of May have been either canceled or rescheduled in order to keep with the guidelines for social distancing set by the State.
Message from Jerry Flannery, HRCA CEO and General Manager Hard to believe that May is here, and we are on the edge of summer. Typically, we are entering the busiest time of year for HRCA - gearing up for summer events and programs, getting ready to start our summer camps, and preparing to open the outdoor pools. Instead, the recreation centers sit empty, the fitness equipment is idle, and there are no sounds of children running through the buildings. All of us at HRCA miss our members. We are hoping to open our doors in a limited capacity as soon as we are able to adhere to socially responsible guidelines to protect the health of our staff, members and community. As we continue to navigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, I want to take a moment to shed some light on how your HRCA staff is keeping the facilities, projects, and administrative duties operating. At the facilities, a few essential employees, (wearing masks and practicing safe social distancing), continue to work on large scale maintenance projects that we would normally do during our annual closures, alleviating these weeklong closures for each facility after we reopen later this year. Programming and event staff are developing ways to keep you active in a virtual environment (be sure to check out our new HRCA at Home webpage) and planning for the future. We are even seeing an increase in our residential improvement services with many members submitting applications for home improvements. Our primary functions continue just on a virtual basis. Above all, we are committed to getting back on track as soon as it is safe. We have received questions from a few members as to why they have had to continue to pay assessments while the facilities are closed to the public. We are mandated by our governing documents to charge assessments and are not allowed by those documents to provide refunds for any reason. We realize that some may perceive this as a "windfall" for HRCA - saving up the assessment income during this challenging time and not experiencing financial hardship. This is an understandable misconception, however, revenue generating classes and programs such as Aquatics, Sports & Fitness, Backcountry, Arts & Education, and Community Events are all canceled along with the facility closure. With this significant revenue stream (that is estimated at $400,000 per month) no longer coming into the HRCA, there are financial ramifications. We are very fortunate to have been fiscally responsible and have been conservative and transparent in our budgeting each year while looking and saving for the future. Our reserves are strong and because of that we are able to keep our organization in good financial standing even while closed, rather than filing for bankruptcy as many other organizations unfortunately are forced to do. With that said, we still have ongoing expenses just like every homeowner, such as, utility and service costs, employee payroll, and regular facility maintenance with our equipment and pools.
HRCA at HOME - Staying Active HRCA is here to keep you active and engaged while you are at home! The new HRCA at Home webpage has classes, events, virtual work outs, and many more fun activities appropriate for the whole family! New content is being added regularly, so be sure to visit www.HRCAonline.org/HRCAatHome to see what's new!
the 2020 Virtual TASTE OF HIGHLANDS RANCH As many of you know, the Taste of Highlands Ranch is a community tradition that has become a staple. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 we had to cancel this year's live event. While the Taste is canceled this year, it doesn't mean that we can't continue to support our local restaurants that have been supporting us at the Taste of HR all these years! So, the Taste of Highlands Ranch is going VIRTUAL! Support our local restaurants and have some fun while doing it! Join us by playing the The 2020 Virtual Taste of BINGO the week of April 24 - May 2. Visit our web site for more info, get your BINGO card and get tasting! www.HRCAonline.org/VirtualTaste.
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See Summer Camps Information on pages 6-7!