The Mothball Checklist

Getting your course and equipment ready for what you really do not want to do.

At some point you may determine that you will not be allowed to reopen or that you can not reopen this year because of the financial constraints of your operation. It will be time to mothball your site so it can be opened smoothly in the future.

There are at least six areas to address in mothballing your courses:

• paperwork
• inspections
• permits
• monthlies
• insurance
• equipment

This is not a comprehensive list. These are areas that all course will have to address in preparing to close for an extended period.

Paperwork: You need to create a record showing what you did so that someone else can know what to undo. Write a list of all the steps taken to put the course into mothball. Be extremely detailed. The list will be important in returning the course to use assuring no critical task is missed. Write down the equipment cleaning process and supplies used so that if there are any questions in the future you do not have to relight on memory. If you take down any activities, carefully label the parts and make drawings describing how to put them back up. Write down a list of the “regular” work items like maintenance and inspections that will be skipped until you open. Try and imagine you are not the person opening the course and someone else is trying to sort out where things belong. Whoever is opening up will want the details. This helps eliminate all the assumptions we make when we think we will remember what we did. Finally, make multiple copies of this document so it cannot be lost.

Permits:  If you work in an area requiring a permit or license to operate, contact the agency that manages your permits and find out if there is anything you need to do to put the permit in suspension. Document the communication so both parties are clear about what is expected. This is a good relationship maintenance process. They may have resources you were not expecting as well.

Insurance:  I don’t need insurance while were closed… OR do I?  Have a conversation with your broker and assure you have the insurance you need when closed and can get the appropriate insurance when you reopen. Cameron Annas of Granite Insurance and ACCT Board Member says operators have two paths they can purse for their insurance. One is to calculate the new revenue and employee hours and go to your broker to see if a new rate or total can be applied to the existing policy. This might reduce the cost while closed. The other path is to see if the policy can be converted to a vacant site policy. In all cases assuring that there are no lapses in coverage is important. At a minimum, sites should have property insurance for damage or vandalism.

Additionally, if you have a lease or other contract for the site, negotiate new terms for the required insurance limits for the duration of the closure. For example, if the lease states you have to maintain 2 million per occurrence negotiate for some other limit while the course is closed. Finally, assure that whatever you do does not create a difficult situation in the future.

Inspection:  Tell your inspector you are closing and ask your for their recommends on reopening. Generally inspecting a course after a longer than normal closure is significantly more complex. This is most true for tree courses where growth can become a concern. Facilities exposed to high winds or snow loads could also be affected. Rich Klajnscek of SeaFox Consulting and former chair of the ACCT Standards Development Committee states that letting your inspector know you will have a gap in inspections helps assure they know they will have a more significant inspection when you reopen. The inspector may also be able to help you determine what, if any, activities should be removed or protected for the duration of the mothball.

Monthly:  It is truly remarkable what can happen to a course that is unused for a significant period of time. In an interview with Rich Klajnscek about long term closures, Rich stated that he has seen significant impact on course closed for long periods. Tree damage or storm damage observed and repaired during normal operations get progressively worse when not addressed in a timely fashion. You will need to assure that someone walks through on a regular basis simply to assure the course has not been damaged, or vandalized. Making a checklist and a place to record these visits may help keep them productive. When you reopen, it will also help inspectors know you have done the minimum to care for the course.

Equipment:  It is worth a lot of money, take care of it NOW so it will be in better shape when you reopen. Cody Greene from Robertson Harness shared that a good process of putting equipment away included a careful inspection and inventory, so you know what you have. Knowing what you have and having a plan for what will be required when you open, allows you to place orders in a timely fashion. Then do a very through clean and dry of the equipment before storing it is a dry, cool, dark, rodent free storage area.  Cody emphasized the importance of cleaning and drying equipment. Well cleaned equipment will come out of storage ready for use. If the harnesses and lanyards are not clean and dried, they will mold in storage. UCK! Equipment cleaning information from many vendors can be found on the ACCT COVID-19 resource page and on this blog.

Course:  Courses are designed to be outside and in use for a long time.  For the most part, they will do just fine if there unused for a year. There are some things that need attention before they are put aside. Corey Wall of Challenge Design Innovations, Inc. said that a long closure should be viewed as getting ready for a major storm or hurricane. On an adventure course, the activities with lots of surface area might be in better condition if they are lowered to the ground and covered. If your course has permanently installed pulleys, consider taking these down so they do not degrade the cable they are on or rust in place. Consider removing items that will be damaged by UV exposer and are not critical to the structure. Finally, Corey pointed out that many belay or auto zip units may need special care before mothball. Check with the manufacturer.

You:   This is traumatic. People in our industry believe in what we do. We believe what we do matters in the world. Closing for a month or for a year is a BIG loss. Grieving that loss is real. Now that you have that course put away and safe, take time for you. Take a deep breath. Cry if you need to. IT is ok. This is hard and it is no fun. Find a friend and talk to them. You are not in this alone. We will get through this, together.