All Californians fear fires, flash floods and earthquakes, but few are properly prepared when these natural disasters hit.
The October 2017 Tubbs Fire has been labeled the most destructive wildfire in California history, burning parts of cities in Napa and Sonoma counties, and
affecting the City of Santa Rosa the most. By the time of its containment on Oct. 31, 2017, the Tubbs Fire was estimated to have burned 36,810 acres and 5,643 structures, including 2,800 homes in Santa Rosa, home to The Fountaingrove Club. The damage was estimated at $1.2 billion, with five percent of the city’s housing stock destroyed.
In retrospect, The Fountaingrove Club could not have done anything more to prevent the eventual damage of that day: complete destruction of our 30-year-old clubhouse, pro shop, cart barn, fitness house, restrooms on the golf course, and maintenance facilities. Carried by near hurricane-level winds, the Tubbs Fire traveled more than 12 miles within four hours, burning an acre an hour. It jumped major freeways and reached the club at 1:30 a.m. By 4:30 a.m., the damage was done.
I was hired March 2017 as Fountaingrove’s GM/COO and was at the helm for less than nine months when the fire struck. At the time, the club was implementing new processes and controls and had recently been certified as one of America’s Healthiest
Clubs by Prevo Health Solutions, club industry wellness experts. Memberships were on the rise and, according to a recent member survey, members were happy with the vision of the board and new management team.
The club conducted a post-fire membership survey in December 2017 to determine members’ opinions about the past, present and future of The Fountaingrove Club. Similar to previous surveys, it addressed the club’s services, activities, structures, governance and communications. As of October 2017, the membership’s overall satisfaction with the club was the highest it has been since surveys were first conducted in 2009.
Preparing for Natural Disasters in California
Fountaingrove’s Golf Course Superintendent Dustin McIntosh believed his disaster preparedness plan and protocols were sufficient to minimize or eliminate the risk of damage from most disasters. Prior to the fire, the club had removed tall trees near the clubhouse, installed efficient sprinkler systems, hired a flock of sheep to eat the tall grass and underbrush in close proximity to all structures and educated the staff on the proper protocol in the event of a disaster. McIntosh explains, “there was nothing more we could do to prevent the impact from the relentless pelting of embers that flew in from miles away.”
Thankfully, the club had comprehensive property and casualty insurance, and most importantly, the athletic center, pool and activities center were spared. This gave the members a place to meet, socialize, commiserate and work out after the fires, which helped reduce the incredible stress the fire had put on their community.
Because the region is prone to fires, the board has always taken the position of having comprehensive insurance policies that would cover the cost to rebuild the facilities. Additionally, we are grateful our insurance policy covered the facilities, but more importantly, the policy included a provision to reimburse the club for lost dues and usage revenues during the building process.
Impact of the Fire
The Fountaingrove Club lost more than 700 mature trees and 90 percent of the homes in the Fountaingrove community, in addition to the structures mentioned earlier. Most of the displaced members relocated locally and continued to support the club. A small number of members left the area and don’t plan on rebuilding.
Loss of all power to the club severely affected our restoration efforts. Even six months later, the club was still without permanent power in some areas. However, the club installed 100 solar panels at the athletic center, which allowed it to open within 21 days of the disaster.
By Jan. 18, 2018, the driving range, practice facilities and golf course were opened, with a full fleet of 66 new golf carts.
Impact on Staff
The club paid salaries to all employees until November 1, and for many other employees through December 1. Unfortunately, 80 percent of the F&B staff chose to take jobs elsewhere when
it became evident that our F&B operations would not be up and running for a while. However, 95 percent of the golf course maintenance operations team and the athletic center employees remained with the club.
Immediate Post-Fire Actions
The club partnered with the City of Santa Rosa and the Salvation Army as an official “comfort station” for the entire Fountaingrove community. Organizations ranging from Google to FEMA sent help in the form of complimentary crisis counselors and food trucks.
Club Chef Seth Gallant explains, “For our club, and my department, we lost everything tangible. This included our restaurant facility, kitchen, dining room and equipment. We also lost about 80 percent of our staff due to the service staff finding different jobs in the community.
“Within 24 hours, we had begun daily conference calls, and provided communications to the membership and staff to assure
safety of our staff and management. Within one week, we had begun calling the entire membership to check in and see if there was anything we could do to help those who had lost their homes or been misplaced. For the first two weeks, there were police barricades to protect the community. An all-staff meeting was held offsite to inform everyone of the status of the club, the members and their jobs.”
Within 30 days, the club retained the services of industry professionals across multiple departments to help formulate plans to retain membership, create a public relations and media strategy, improve facilities, and address the needs of the staff.
Club management made a decision to suspend dues for
six months across all categories. The monthly dues are now being subsidized by the insurance carrier for up to 24 months, from the date of loss, to help compensate for the loss of some member services.
Responding to the Disaster
A photographer was on site within 48 hours, taking thousands of pictures to capture the devastation in anticipation of the insurance-claims process. These photos will serve the dual purpose of documenting the history of the fire for the club’s archives.
Another priority was to secure generators to run power and irrigation for vital services.
Within 30 days, the club secured 1,500-square-feet of offsite office space which allowed the administrative and management team to meet and strategize away from the chaos. Daily, they addressed membership retention issues, temporary facilities, programming and member communications.
Within 60 days, the club selected and contracted with a general contractor and a local design-build firm. We also brought in a handful of industry consultants to assist with designing what we are now referring to as “The Club of the Future.”
Getting feedback from the members was paramount, and within four weeks, the club hosted a town hall meeting at the athletic center. This created a venue for members to talk and commune for the first time since the fire. The club hosted its first event, a member appreciation holiday event, within 60 days of the fire, with more than 150 members in attendance. Weeks later, the Member/Staff Volunteer Spruce Up Day provided members an opportunity to contribute to the clean-up efforts and 40 members volunteered their time.
Within 90 days of the fire, the club hosted a member focus group to discuss community outreach, clean-up and restoration and short and long-term strategies.
Planning for Recovery
Operationally, the club and staff mobilized quickly to address the damage and readiness of the golf course including:
- Assessing the course and sprinkler damage
- Staff availability
- Accessibility to the property
- Putting out smoldering fires
- Cutting down hazardous trees
- Securing generators to run power and water
- Course irrigation
- Acquiring loaner golf course equipment
We hired General Manager of Operations Don Floriani to manage the day-to-day operations and oversee golf, tennis, athletics and membership sales. With Don on board, I was able to focus my time on managing the insurance claim, accounting, finance and human resources and also spearhead the design-build process.
Floriani explains, “It was as if we had to start all over, as dues were temporarily suspended, operating revenues were non-existent and budgeting was challenging at best. The team has been amazing. We host spectacular events. Our golf, tennis, fitness and aquatics amenities are fully functional, and the community has been very supportive. Our 2018 new member sales have exceeded the annual projections and we are excited about the future.”
Impact on Operations
Surprisingly, the club only lost a small percentage of members, even with limited F&B services. According to the members that participated in the post-fire focus group and others that completed a post-fire survey, members understand and accept operations will not be the same for some time.
Despite not operating on all levels, the club has seen a spike in new membership sales for both golf and athletics. Initiation fees have not been reduced, nor will they.
The golf course, driving range and practice facility are open with a fully stocked pro shop located in temporary trailers. Teaching centers, complete with launch monitors and swing technology, have been added to provide a sense of normalcy.
“I cannot believe how quickly our staff was able to get the golf course back up and running,” says Director of Golf & Assistant General Manager James Perkins.
For now, the athletic center and pool function as the main social area for events and staff meetings. The club has added
a series of temporary facilities, including multiple tents that provide additional space for group fitness and spin classes. Tennis, bocce, the youth center and other social activities will continue to be hosted at the athletic center throughout the building process.
Currently, all member and staff meals are prepared offsite and delivered to the club. A temporary catering license has been issued, which allows the club to set up barbeque stations, including our newest addition—two wood-burning ovens that utilize the partially burned oak trees from the property.
A design firm was selected to help The Fountaingrove Club plan the “Club of the Future,” which will include facilities and
programming for all ages. Amenities being considered include America Ninja Warrior-style obstacle courses, rock-climbing walls, organic gardens, eco-friendly and green building designs, and of course, fire-resistant exterior building materials.
Countless hours have been spent by the management team, the board, committees and industry consultants to identify the amenities, facilities and programming needs of the members during the building process. The new clubhouse is expected to be completed by late 2020, nearly three years post-fire.
In the meantime, the first priority is to get the basics in order, such as getting power and water to affected areas and setting up temporary facilities in order to host member social and golf events.
Membership Director Nancy Azevedo says, “Members and prospective members are amazed to see all the events listed in the monthly newsletter. Membership sales are strong and in the first trimester, we are ahead of our goal for the entire year in golf membership sales. The club continues to host Easter Egg hunts, Mother’s Day, Cinco De Mayo, member/nonmember golf events and the prestigious men’s and ladies invitational golf tournaments. Likewise, the community has reacted favorably by booking golf tournaments and other outside events during the building process.”
Keys to a Successful Recovery
There are very few people in the club industry who have experienced devastation on this level. Because of that, there are no manuals, guide books or step-by-step instructions to refer to when a disaster strikes.
Board President Mark Leavitt offers the following, “Our community has suffered immensely. We have lost entire communities, homes, and in many cases, every personal possession. We must look to the future, learn from the past, take quick and decisive action to build, and support the Fountaingrove community. Most of all, we must provide open, honest and constant communication with the members and staff. We are blessed to have a passionate and caring leadership team that has worked tirelessly the last six months to give our family of members and staff a place to meet, socialize and share personal stories. Thank you Ron Banaszak and your team for taking care of The Fountaingrove Club members, staff and community.”
The club’s tagline, says it all: One Club One Community.
For more information, please contact Adina Flores at [email protected] or 707-701-3050 Extension 2002.
Ronald Banaszak is COO of The Fountaingrove Club in Santa Rosa, Calif. He can be reached at [email protected].