Because someone has to be responsible and retract them.

We can’t keep the freaking door locked overnight on the container.

I’m there quite a bit, but I’m not always the last one there.

Rather than minimum cost right now, we should be thinking maximum utility over the next 25 to 50 years

I think spending money on a professionally engineered solution now is going to be cheaper in the long run.

I’m pretty sure we had fewer than 100 members when the former structure got built.  Granted, it came together a little higgledy-piggledy, and at relatively low cost to the club, because IIRC a large portion of the materials were donated by members.   Pretty much all the labor was.  If we had built the bottom of the columns in a way that didn’t let them deteriorate due to moisture, we might still have it.

But now we have 200+ members, and multiple instructors.  Even if most of the students don’t hang around and become regular users, they’re still wanting shade in between kiting while they’re students.

Maybe the plan should plan on taking the building in stages, but in a modular and expandable way.