Introduction
Jarvis Christian College was founded in 1912 as an institution for higher education for the colored and it was affiliated to Disciples of Christ Church. Since its foundation, this institution has been known for its excellence in sports. The institution is known to promote talent among its student population in various fields. As such, it has gained popularity among college students who feel that they have a talent in a given area of sports. The sports complex that is currently in use is incapable of meeting the varying sporting needs of students at this college. In the past, volleyball, basketball, netball, and bowling were the popular sports given emphasis at this college. However, other sports such as cricket, tennis, gymnastics, swimming, badminton, and squash are also growing in popularity. The management of this institution, known for its love for sports, has the responsibility of ensuring that its sports complex is capable of supporting various sports for the benefit of students of this college.
The campus sits on a 1,000 acres piece of land that is expected to offer the needed space for administration, boarding, classes, recreational, and sporting facilities. There is need to utilize the land very appropriately to ensure that adequate space is created for all the needed facilities. That is why in this proposed sports complex, courts and fields for various sports will be integrated as shown in the figure below. Within such a relatively small compound, there will be a basketball/netball court, tennis/volleyball court, swimming pool, cricket pitch, bocce/ten-pin bowling, badminton/squash court, gymnastics floor (taekwondo/judo, boxing, and karate), and a space for snooker, and table tennis. Below is the aerial view of where the complex should be built.
Scope of the project
This project seeks to create a complex where all forms of sports currently popular in the United States can be played within a limited compound. The scope of the project is to offer a plan to the management of a possible creation of a new sports complex. It is the mandate of the school to determine whether or not the plan should be implemented. The project only provides the plan, proposed budget, proposed timeline, and the benefits that it will offer to the students once it is completed.
Purpose and vision of the project
The vision of this project is to create a multi-disciplinary sports complex where students with different sporting talents and interest can practice and play within the campus without having to visit other sporting facilities outside this institution. The purpose is to maximize the limited space within the compound to offer students sporting facilities that meet their needs.
How it will benefit students
This complex will be of great benefit to students of Jarvis Christian College. This college has students who are talented in various sports and they need facilities that can enable them practice and play within the compound. If implemented, this project will transform lives of many students who see their future in various sporting careers. They will have a rare opportunity to practice various sports at professional level. It is for these reasons that the management of this college should seriously consider implementing the plan.
Usage and Flexibility
The complex is designed in a unique way as to meet varying sporting needs of students in this institution. As mentioned above, the design takes into consideration the fact that the school has limited space but the demand for sporting services is highly varied. To ensure that space is created for different sports, the complex is design to integrate various sports in a limited space. The design took into consideration popularity of various sports in the college and the space that they need.
The facility offers a space where tennis or volleyball, basketball or netball, badminton or squash, hockey, cricket, gymnastics, snooker, swimming, and badminton can be played simultaneously. It means that tennis and volleyball will be sharing the same pitch. The same applies to netball and basketball, bowling, and badminton and squash. This kind of arrangement was made after it was determined that a good number of those playing netball are the same people who play basket ball. It is also possible for basketball and netball players to practice in the same pitch at the same time, with each using half of the field. The figure below shows the proposed plan for the complex.
As shown in the above plan, gymnastic floor is expected to meet the needs of students who want to practice taekwondo/judo, boxing, and karate. These are sports which are growing in popularity among students. The space will also be used as a gym where any student interested in keeping physically fit can visit. Students with special needs interested in playing table tennis or snooker will also have their needs effectively met within the complex. It is important to note that the complex does not include field for soccer, rugby, and baseball. This is so because the institution already has standard fields for these very popular sports and in this proposal it is believed that they should remain the way they currently are because they are meeting the expectations of the college students. The complex also lacks a locker room because the one currently available can meet the current needs. Given that it is close to the locker room, it was considered unnecessary for it to have its own locker room. The flexibility of this pitch means that the institution will not be forced to purchase more land for the purpose of meeting its sporting needs.
Finance
In this project, it was not only the space that the team needed to maximize but it was also necessary to minimize the cost of putting it up. The entire complex will be an open space hence the construction materials will be less expensive and the process itself will be simple. The figure below shows an image of part of the complex upon completion and the type of construction and materials that will be needed.
The new sports complex is expected to cost about $ 2.0 million based on the current cost of the needed labor and materials that will be used for the construction. The cost is inclusive of a possible inflation, which is possible given the expected change of regime and the toll that election has had in the American society and miscellaneous costs that may arise during the process of implementing the project. The following table is a proposed budgetary allocation for this project.
Table 1: Proposed budget
It is important to note that the project is planned in a way that the contractors who is assigned the task of constructing the hardwood floors, basketball rims and stands, concrete footings and slab, and paving and landscaping are expected to purchase the materials needed for their tasks as per the agreed quality and pay for the labor from the assigned budget. It means that the amount of money set aside for these tasks, as shown in the table above, include cost of labor and materials. The table below shows the expected sources of income for this project.
Table 2: Sources of income
As shown in the table above, the main sources of income for this project will be grant from the government and budgetary allocation by the college administration. The project can also get a loan from the commercial banks to help realize the set objectives. The pie-chart below shows the sources of fund in terms of their share percentage.
The figure below shows an example of the activities that will take place when preparing the ground for the project.
Once the project is completed, it is expected that there will be costs associated with its maintenance, as proposed in the section below.
Timeline
This is an important project that will significantly transform sporting activities in this college. It is also going to cost this college a lot of money. The college must get the value from this project as soon as possible. It is, therefore, important to ensure that the project is completed within the shortest time possible. To ensure that the project is completed within the desired time, it is important to come up with an appropriate timeline for all the activities involved in the project. Coming up with such a timeline helps in determining when every activity should be completed. It identifies the time within which every contractor must complete the assigned task to ensure that the value for this project is achieved as per the project’s plan. The Gantt chart below shows the duration each of the major activities should be completed.
Timeline of the Activities in Project
As shown in the table above, development of the proposal will take about one month because it is already clear what is needed and how the need can be met. The approval needed from the college administration is also expected to take another month. The administration will need to make necessary consultations before giving the approval. During the same period, approval from the government will be sought. When the approval is given, the stakeholders involved in the project will take one month to get initial funding to start the project. Within that one month, the initial funding will be expected to come from the administration. Funding will be continuously received for the entire period that the project will be in the process of implementation. Loan from the commercial banks and grants from the government may take more than one month. Immediately after receiving the initial funding, the project will commence on January 1, 2017. For the entire year, construction activities will take place and by December 31, 2017, the project shall be completed.
Barriers
When undertaking this project, a number of barriers may be met, and it is important to find a way of overcoming them. One of the possible barriers may be failure to get the needed approval needed from the administration or the government. Without these two approvals, this project cannot commence. As such, the stakeholders will need to put a compelling case that will convince both the administration and the government about the need to undertake this project. Another barrier may be lack of resources to fund the activities of the project. To manage this problem, the team will need to convince the government and the college administration about the need to support the project. This institution can also access loan from commercial banks.
The management will be convinced to go for bank loan to support part of the total cost that cannot be supported by this project. The cost of this project should be repaid through yearly school fees paid by the students. The repayment period can be spread through a period of about 10 years. It means that the burden of repaying this loan will not only be limited to the current students but also future students who will also benefit from these facilities for the next ten years. The parents, who are expected to bear the cost, should be duly informed about these arrangements.
The final decision about the implementation of this project should be made by the government and the administration of the college. The college administration must be convinced about this project and give its approval for the project to be implemented. The college must also seek for government’s approval for the project to commence. It means that although the final decision is to be made by the school’s administration, some forms of approval will be needed from the government. Consensus should be made to ensure that there is a universal agreement to undertake the project. To get this consensus, the parents should be duly informed to ensure that they do not reject the project.
The school’s administration and the government will also be informed about the need for the project and the benefit it will have on students. I will try to get the support of the students to help push the agenda for the project. These students are better placed to convince their parents that this project is important to them and therefore, needs to be implemented. The community within which this college is situated is known for its support for sports. As such, it is likely that the project will receive approval of the community. With the community’s approval, it is likely that the government will support it. The college’s administration will also be pressured to support implementation of the project.
Governmental Approval Overview
The proposed project will have significant impact on the environment, parents, students, the college itself, and the environment. Its significance means that it has to get permit from various government institutions before it can be allowed to commence. It is important to look at how these approvals can be obtained to make sure that this project is undertaken as per the plan. The following are the governmental organization that must give their approval.
State, county, and city approval
The state, county, and city authorities must give approval for this project to take place. At this level, the concern of the authorities will be to determine if the project will have significant impact on the security and safety of the students and the immediate community. It will also look at whether the proposed project is in line with the national government’s policies and regulations regarding co-curriculum activities. This project will not face any serious challenge getting the needed permit at this level.
School district approval
The school district will also be responsible for giving approval for this project. The stakeholders will need to convince authorities at this level that this project will not only help students of Jarvis Christian College but also other students within the district, especially in cases where this college hosts district tournaments for various sports.
College/university system
College authorities will be interested in determining the financial implications of this project on the college. The college will be keen to avoid costs that may burden the college. In this project, it has been explained how funds used in this developmental project will be recovered.
Environmental organization’s approval
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be conducted by the relevant government authority to get the needed environmental permit for this project. This project will not have devastation impact on the environment. As such, it is unlikely that the permit will be denied.
Mgmt. /Maintenance
Once the complex is completed, the management and maintenance will be directly under the leadership of the college’s administration. It will have the responsibility of ensuring that the complex is maintained, issues of repair addressed, and that complex remains in good state. The chart below shows the leadership structure in terms of management of the complex.
As shown in the above figure, the principal will be the senior most authority responsible for the management and maintenance of this complex. He will delegate the responsibility of managing this complex to the sports director who must always report to him on a regular basis when any issue arises. The athletics director, gymnastics director, and director of indoor games will be directly responsible for managing the courts and facilities within their jurisdiction. They are answerable to the sports director.
Conclusion
Jarvis Christian College has a rich history not only in academics but also in sports. This project proposes development of a complex that will enable students interested in various games to have enough space to practice and play. The complex is relatively less costly, but it will greatly benefit students of this college, including those with special needs. It will completely transform sporting in the college as it will make it possible for students to try their skills in different games, including students with special needs. The college will also be capable of hosting major sporting events. If completed as proposed, the complex will offer this college competitive advantage over its market rivals. It will make it more attractive.