After losing money for the last 16 years, the owner of the Kimball Junction Silver Mountain Sports Club says he is closing that location.
The Kimball Junction location of the Silver Mountain Sports Club was opened to take advantage of the area’s growth, but club owner Stanton Jones says he has struggled with that location since it opened. The staggering financial losses he has taken during the COVID-19 pandemic finally did the location in.
“It's been a long time coming. “It's very difficult with a rec center next door that is tax-exempt and offers all kinds of incentives for people to join at reduced prices. They don't mind losing a lot of money, but I just got kind of tired of losing money for the last 16 years at that location.”
He says the 20,000 square feet of space will be available for either office or medical space. He thought he had a buyer for the club, but the deal fell through in May.
He is keeping the Prospector club open, saying it has a lot more amenities and a larger membership base. It’s also an easier place for tourists to come and enjoy. He says some of his members understand.
“A lot of members are now going to come to the Prospector location,” he said. “A lot of members go back and forth anyway - they might work out Monday through Friday at Kimball and come on the weekends to the Prospector location, but the Prospector location offers a lot more amenities and a lot of its bigger and has a lot of things going for it that Kimball couldn't have because of its size. … There's obviously a group of members that are disappointed and wanted us to stay open in that (Kimball Junction) location but it's, it's been very, very difficult and impossible for us to continue.”
Jones says the Prospector location is currently for sale and he says he has a handful of offers for the club – with all of them saying they want to keep it open as a club. He says he will hold on to the property just to the east of the club for a potential affordable housing and townhome development – a project that he says is currently being worked on by the Park City planning department.
