Four Seasons in Hampstead will remain open

New ownership emerges just one day before the planned closure of facility

The Four Seasons Sports Complex in Hampstead will remain open after a prospective buyer emerged Thursday, a day before it was set to close.

Coppermine Fieldhouse announced plans to acquire the Four Seasons facility, which features pools, indoor and outdoor fields, a fitness center and putt-putt golf course, and keep it open.

“We are happy to announce that we are prepared and eager to make this the 9th Coppermine location and that the facility will no longer be closing,” the company said in a news release.

The announcement follows news last week that the Four Seasons facility at 2710 Hampstead-Mexico Road — a home for sports practices and contests, from soccer games to swim meets — would shutter after more than 30 years in business.

Coppermine, which has eight locations in the Baltimore region, said it intends to purchase the real estate by Nov. 30.

Company representatives checked out the facility Monday and decided to purchase it Tuesday, according to the release. They plan to improve the facility’s amenities, upgrading the fitness center with new free weight equipment in addition to “fresh paint, lighting, flooring, restrooms, and other cosmetic changes and improvements.” Coppermine also said it intends to convert the outdoor grass field to a synthetic turf field, upgrade indoor facilities and add “multiuse spaces” with indoor turf and “multipurpose flooring.”

There are no public turf fields in Carroll County.

“The commissioners are very pleased to learn about the pending sale,” said Chris Winebrenner, communications manager for Carroll County. “They’re excited for future opportunities it may provide for the community.”

After the closure plan was announced last week, Jeff Degitz, director of Carroll County Recreation and Parks, said there would be several groups in search of a new home.

“Some of our volunteer recreation councils participate in leagues or programs at Four Seasons complex,” he said. “So, if that facility were to close, they would be looking to other locations to house those programs, such as indoor soccer and other indoor activities.”

The Coppermine release also included a plea for trust. When Four Seasons announced its plans to close on Facebook, members — who had already paid membership fees and dues, and now needed to figure out where they’d go — spoke out in the comments.

Coppermine asked those members to hold onto their memberships or reinstate them if they’d already let them go.

“We will be giving everyone a free 30-day trial membership and we will freeze your current rates for the next 12 months,” the release read. “This allows us to budget for the renovations that will start on or around December 1st.”

That plea extended to customers who rented the facility, promising marketing and assistance in “building up your customer base.”

The Hampstead Four Seasons has hosted such sports events as the Straehle Invitational swim meet, which included 45 teams on July 24, and Mid Atlantic Legacy, a travel and AAU boys and girls basketball program. The Straehle meet has hosted Olympic-qualifying swimmers, including Michael Phelps, the Maryland native who has won more Olympic medals than anyone in history.

The Four Seasons complex was put up for sale in June for $5 million and recently the price was reduced by 54% to $2.3 million, according to multiple real estate listings. The price was dropped because its owners weren’t getting any offers at $5 million, but they did have some potential buyers, according to Jessica Dannettel, director of operations at the Four Seasons Sports Complex.

“I think that the sale itself probably led to the closing of the facility,” Dannettel said last week. “The owner decided to put the business up for sale. The reason it’s closing is purely financial.”

Coppermine plans to host a meet-andgreet event, which will include food trucks, at the facility in mid-September.

“I would love the opportunity to meet each of you and your families and answer any questions you might have and go over the vision and programming we have in store for the property,” the company said in the release, signed by Alex Jacobs, its owner.

Hampstead Mayor Christopher Nevin did not respond to requests for comment.