The Country Club Road property in Montpelier on Thursday, Oct. 24. Photo by Natalie Williams/VTDigger.A nonprofit group of tennis lovers has put in a bid for Montpelier’s city-owned Country Club Road property, formerly the Elks Country Club. The HUB has submitted a written proposal to buy a building on the site and 5 of the property’s 138 acres for $750,000 through Blueberry Associates, LLC., a real estate developer and property manager in the city. Their proposal would leave the existing building on the property and add tennis courts, a community space and other possible amenities.That offer is well below the $1.5 million appraised value of the building and land, according to a memo from City Manager Bill Fraser. The group also offered a 7-acre land swap as part of the sale and the possibility of a private-public partnership that could help meet some of Montpelier’s recreation needs.Montpelier city councilors, the mayor and city employees discussed the offer at Wednesday night’s City Council meeting, ultimately voting to wait on a decision until the new plan could be fully appraised. The wide-ranging conversation touched on the many different uses that have been considered for the Country Club Road property since the city purchased it in 2022. Over the past two years, Montpelier has used the building on the property to house an emergency winter shelter, as well as an outdoor space for a community farm, cross-country skiing, soccer and disc golf. In recent months, the city has evicted people who were camping and parking RVs on the property after the shelter shut down in May, citing issues like theft and waste. The decision kicked off protests on the steps of city hall. But the long-term goals for the property have mainly involved housing development and recreation. Fraser said at the meeting that the housing aspect is still being studied, but the city could consider the HUB sale of part of the property at the same time. Todd Olson, a member of the HUB group, said its backers were inspired to get together after a nearby gym, Green Mountain Community Fitness, closed down some of its indoor tennis courts in 2020. The group has expressed interest in the property since 2021, before it was even sold to the city. Steve Ribolini, the principal agent for Blueberry Associates, helped Citi Properties sell the land to the city in 2022. Along with the tennis courts, Olson said the group hopes to include a restaurant and a virtual sports center where members could play simulated versions of sports like golf, baseball and soccer. He said the group would be open to a private-public partnership Councilors questioned Olson on how accessible the space would be to members of the public. Councilor Pelin Kohn asked if the group would consider open public hours. The Country Club Road property in Montpelier on Thursday, Oct. 24. Photo by Natalie Williams/VTDigger.“These are details that still have to be worked out,” Olson said. He added that the initial years of the operation may have financial challenges, limiting their ability to make those kinds of offers. Councilor Adrienne Gil asked if the proposal could fit in flexibility for the courts to also be used for basketball or other indoor sports. Recreation department employees, along with several members of the public, noted that tennis is less popular among Montpelier’s children than basketball and soccer. Olson said that was an option the HUB would be open to but again would depend on financial constraints on the size of the sports building they could build. There was also debate about whether Montpelier should itself fund a fully public recreation center at that location, or invest in renovations to the city’s current space at 55 Barre St. A feasibility review of the recreation options said the Barre Street facility lacked ADA accommodations and adequate space for recreational needs.Arne McMullen, Montpelier’s director of recreation, shared his vision for the Country Club Road property as a draw for sports lovers through tournaments and regional events. “The opportunities are endless, but we need to have a starting point,” he said. Some councilors balked at the potential costs of either renovating the old site or building on the new site. Fraser’s memo said the renovations could cost up to $7 million, and councilors mentioned that new recreation facilities nearby, like the one in progress in Colchester, have cost more than $10 million. Councilor Tim Heney said it’s a hard time to propose putting additional money into a city-owned recreation center. The city has faced steep budget losses from the 2023 flood and is in the midst of major infrastructure work on water pipes and roads. “We’ve been presented with an opportunity (for) the HUB to come in and potentially develop some part of that area for recreation, get some recreation piece going that wouldn’t be a capital investment on the part of the city of Montpelier, potentially, which I find refreshing and something I want to hear about,” he said. Tory Rhodin, a member of the city’s homelessness task force, reminded the City Council that there are people currently living on the property in the shelter there. “That building could go away without a backup plan,” she said. Councilors discussed the option of turning the Barre Street facility into a shelter, instead of using the Country Club Road building. Fraser said in that case, the city would likely transfer the facility to Downstreet Housing & Community Development, a local housing nonprofit, or the state of Vermont. Resident Jody Petterson quoted a friend who said it would be “‘elitist’” to build tennis courts on the property before a housing plan was put in place. She said the building location could turn out to be the only place to build apartments since it’s the flattest part of the property.Councilor Cary Brown said she’d be open to selling part of the property but wasn’t interested in the private-public partnership aspect of the proposal — or the price. “Tennis courts are way down the list of priorities,” she said. “There’s no compelling public interest in selling for less than it’s worth.” Ribolini said he anticipated people asking why the group had put in an offer under the appraisal value. His response was that “real estate offers are negotiations.” With 138 acres of property, “it’s a big sandbox,” he said. “We can all play up there.”Read the story on VTDigger here: Montpelier receives offer from tennis group to buy Country Club Road property .