Effingham County sports academy in jeopardy of closing over rising rent costs
Young baseball and softball players in Effingham County rely on Elite Sports Academy to teach them the game they love. Many come to their facility multiple times a week to perfect their craft, but a recent hike in the rent is putting the company in jeopardy of losing the building they have become so familiar with.
Instructor Brittney Novickis said monthly payments for the facility they use on Commercial Court in Rincon is going from $2,000 to $6,000 in the coming months.
The facility also serves as a place where students get tutoring and take part in homeschool classes and activities. Novickis thinks the uptick in warehouses is behind the price increase.
“In the area where we're at, industrial parks and warehouses are going up,” said Novickis. “Five years ago, there were no giant warehouses behind us. Before, you could drive down 21 and see trees and the countryside and now you see developments and commercial buildings. It’s not a bad thing, it's good for the area; just not so good for us small town folks.”
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Aside from the rent, instructor DJ Wilson said utility fees during the summer can run as high as $1,500.
“There's no way I'd be able to manage that,” said Wilson. “The ones who own the building agreed to let us pay $3,500 for April and May, but then it is going up in June. There is no way I would be able to do $3,500 plus the other $1,500 if that happened for those two months. If we were to stay in there, I'm not sure how we would do that, paying $6,000 plus possibly $1,500.”
The staff may have to implement a membership fee, although Wilson said some families cannot afford it. With the number of athletes dropping off, even the monthly fee may not be enough to keep them in their current facility.
“With the drop off in numbers, I don’t know if that is going to be enough,” said Wilson. “We would have to use that money to not only get us through April and May, but potentially find another place as well.”
Losing the academy would be devastating for a community that relies heavily on the expertise of Novickis, Wilson and others to help elevate their game. Instructors like Novickis are there seven days a week.
“The academy is special because it's not a business, it’s a culture,” said Novickis. We all love what we do. There's a P.E. teacher from South Effingham who is a pitching instructor. She's amazing and her husband gives lessons in there. They have three children who grew up in that academy. DJ Wilson has two children and he also works at the YMCA. I am there between 50-60 hours a week. It's a safe spot. We just want to provide a spot that can keep us inside and everybody else inside.”
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Elite Sports Academy raising funds amid rental price increase
