Local Parent Says He'll Build and Donate Indoor Sports Facility
There is no question that the need exists
Offer too good to be true?
By Kara Chalmers
Parks and Recreation Commissioners who have been grappling with inadequate facilities for the city's growing youth population heard a proposal Jan. 10 that seemed too good to be true. A local parent told them he would like to build and manage a state-of- the-art indoor sport and recreation center. For free.
The catch? There is none, according to Nemat Maleksalehi, who also goes by Matt Malek and Matt Madison. The Saratoga resident owns Indoor Sports Network Corp., a nonprofit based in Los Altos, and Housing Network, a firm that owns and operates apartments and office buildings in four states, including California. Maleksalehi said his proposal is a response to the lack of indoor recreational space in Saratoga for children, adults and the elderly. He said the proposal is his dream for the city.
"I am here as a concerned resident of Saratoga and a caring parent," he said. "I am not here as a developer. I am not here as an investor. And finally, I am not here to sell any products or services or to make profit."
Maleksalehi told the Saratoga News that he will also contribute $200,000 and raise the rest of the funds for building indoor sports centers at both Saratoga High School and Foothill School.
Maleksalehi has four children in Saratoga schools who compete in such indoor sports as table tennis and volleyball. Maleksalehi said he has to drive them to practices that are both far away and crowded since there is not enough room in Saratoga.
One facility Maleksalehi envisions for Saratoga would be mobile and pre-fabricated. He said he is basically proposing to make one of the city's outdoor parks an indoor facility. "I know there is a need," he said. "Just give me a piece of land, and I'll build it. We're not here to ask you if you want it, we're here to ask you where you want it."
While parks commissioners may not have heard of Maleksalehi before his generous proposal on Jan. 10, he is known to the Santa Clara County district attorney's office, which has charged him with one count of welfare fraud and four counts of felony grand theft, totaling $212,000. According to Deputy District Attorney Stephen Lowney, Maleksalehi is also charged with bail enhancement, since the crimes for which he has been charged were allegedly committed while he was on bail for a charge of insurance fraud.
Maleksalehi's trial is set for Jan. 24.
Maleksalehi's attorney, Ed Nino, said that his client plans to plead not guilty. He also said that he could not comment on pending litigation other than to say that he believes his client is an extremely generous man and that Maleksalehi's plans for the indoor gyms were in the works before he was charged with the crimes of welfare fraud and felony grand theft.
According to Lowney, the district attorney's office believes Maleksalehi brought Iranian nationals seeking citizenship--mostly elderly women who could not read or write English--into the Housing Authority's office to qualify them for federal Section 8 housing subsidies. Then he would receive the checks each month from the Housing Authority, but would actually rent the apartment to other people at the market rate, said Lowney.
Immediately after the Jan. 10 meeting, parks commission chairwoman Judy Alberts expressed cautious optimism. Later, after hearing from the Saratoga News of the criminal charges against Maleksalehi, she said that it was clear that research would have to be done on both the proposal and the company.
Maleksalehi said that the area needed for his proposed complex would be equal to a basketball court and one or two tennis courts, and stressed there would be no expansion of existing facilities. His plan for a recreation hall includes equipment for table tennis and chess. The sports hall would be used for tennis, volleyball, basketball and indoor soccer.
There would be a snack bar, bathrooms, showers and lockers, insulation to reduce noise and special floors to reduce injuries. Maleksalehi said his facility would be state-of-the-art and have a 50-year life expectancy. The walls would be made of galvanized steel, and the building would have skylights and outdoor landscaping. He said it could be built in two months.
Commissioners listened to Maleksalehi's proposal and asked many questions. One question was whether Saratoga residents would be given priority in the use of the gym. Maleksalehi said "yes" and added that residents would also be given a discount on fees. Maleksalehi said he intends to pay for this complex, and manage it once it is built, through his nonprofit corporation, Indoor Sports Network Corp. He said he would supply all staff, including maintenance, and pay them himself. But the city would have to pay for all utilities, he said.
If the complex is built, Maleksalehi said, he would donate it to the city and then lease the space, for $1 per month, and manage it. The money made by renting the space out for tournaments and from members' annual fees would go toward paying Maleksalehi back. He said any additional money would go into a trust fund for the city to build a second facility.
An ex-table tennis player and volleyball coach, Malehksalehi said his firm has engineering and design experience remodeling gyms in Salem and Eugene, Ore. He helped start the Palo Alto Table Tennis Club. He was a volunteer coach there, and he installed the lighting and the equipment.
Maleksalehi said he wants to help other children the way he has helped his own children by supporting them in their athletic endeavors.
"It's the concept of giving an opportunity to a youth to express themselves, exercise and join teams," Maleksalehi said. "Volleyball is just one tool. The sports center would have many tools."
Saratoga, California Since 1955
