Sandy Springs Tennis Contract Comes Under Scrutiny

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- After some debate and reluctance, Sandy Springs leaders last week unanimously approved extending a contract with Groslimond Tennis Services, Inc. to operate its Tennis Center for an additional calendar year.

GTS has been operating the center on Abernathy Road since 2013, and Recreation and Parks Director Ronnie Young originally presented the contract to be renewed through Dec. 31, 2019.

A discussion at a previous work session didn't convince some City Council members that continuing with the company was necessary, so Young was asked to bring back some metrics to determine how well the center is performing under GTS's guidance.

According to numbers provided by city staff, participation in organized events and free-play uses have increased steadily. Broken down, the center boasts:

• Number of free-play users: 18,075 (2013), 19,733 (2014) and 20,318 (2015).
• Percentage of Fulton County users: 58 percent (2013) and 55 percent in 2014 and 2015.
• Number of ALTA/T2 Tennis, etc. teams playing as Sandy Springs Tennis Center teams: 194 (2013), 198 (2014) and 200 (2015).
• Number of tournaments conducted and total participation: 19, with 1,507 in 2013; 24, with 2,314 in 2014; and 27, with 2,850 (2015).
• Number of youth participants in training programs (not including summer camps): 222 in 2013; 447 in 2014; and 565 in 2015.
• Number of local schools/number of teams/total participants using the Tennis Center: 6/20/160 in 2013; and 8/20/200 in 2014 and 2015.
• Youth summer camp participation totals: 251 in 2013; 481 in 2014; and 594 in 2015.

Despite the seemingly overall popularity of and strong performance at the Tennis Center, some Council members worried about what it means for the city that put public-private partnerships on the municipal map to choose not to bid out some of its services.

Councilman Tibby DeJuilio said he believes the city needs to continue the process of soliciting requests for proposals if it plans to maintain its public-private partnership form of operations.

“I think this is a slippery slope that we are on here," he said, adding not bidding out the services would be setting a bad precedent.

While the numbers "look good," Council member Andy Bauman said DeJulio was not the "lone dissenter" over the request for extension. Even though there is validity when it comes to having stable operations at the Tennis Center through the use of the same company, Bauman said he still has questions such as how many employers from Sandy Springs GTS has on staff.

“I find this process to be a little bit haphazard," he added, reiterating his call for the contract to go through the RFP process so the city can outline benchmarks for expectations.

Councilman Ken Dishman offered a slightly different perspective. Dishman said the metrics show GTS is doing a "great job" in Sandy Springs. His fear is if the city were to bring in another company, they will not know and understand the ins and outs of the community.

Mayor Rusty Paul, who does not cast votes unless there's a need to break a tie on the Council, said he agreed with some of the concerns expressed by his fellow public servants and supported the one-year extension offered by Councilman Gabriel Sterling.

"There’s nothing wrong with competition," he said. "It's healthy and positive." The one-year extension will give the city a chance to prepare to solicit requests for proposals and to prepare for a transition from one company to another, Paul stated.

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