No love from these tennis players No love from these tennis players (March 18, 2005)

Bernal Property should include tennis courts, older enthusiasts tell council
by Dolores Fox Ciardelli

Six senior tennis players served a volley of complaints at the City Council on Tuesday, charging that Pleasanton needs more tennis courts.

Vince Casha stepped to the podium first to say that walk-on tennis courts have gradually disappeared in Pleasanton. He asked for eight lighted courts on the Bernal Property.

"I took up tennis at 59 and I'm now 77," said Acacia. "I feel we're somewhat left behind (baseball and soccer)."

"Tennis is a game you can play to my age and longer," he added. "I don't know many soccer players my age."

He noted that there are four public courts at Muirwood Community Park and two at Fairlands Park. He said they are deteriorating and not built to "modern standards."

The courts at Amador Valley High School were located on Santa Rita Road and open and visible to the public until 2001, when they were replaced by a student parking lot. Courts for the school were built inside the campus, which is locked on the weekends, the speakers noted.

But school facilities liaison Fran Gibson said Wednesday morning that the tennis courts at both high schools are still open to the public. For $25, a member of the community is given a key to unlock the courts. They can keep the key as long as they like and their $25 is given back when they return it. Although the campuses are locked during off-hours, there are usually activities taking place on the weekends so they are almost always open, Gibson said.

The school district also rents out the high school courts. Nonprofit groups pay $3/hour per court; commercial users, such as tennis teachers, are charged $12/hour per court, said Gibson. Amador Valley has eight courts plus two half-courts; Foothill has nine. The secretaries at both schools handle the rentals. Call Amador at 461-6100; Foothill, 461-6600.

The Tennis Park on Valley and Hopyard has 10 public courts, but the players Tuesday night told the council members they are used by leagues, United States Tennis Association teams and lessons, plus they charge a fee and need reservations. The charge is $5/hour, reserved; $4/hour, walk-in; and $3/hour, youths.

The city also operates two tennis courts at Pleasanton Middle School. When the city tennis courts were removed from school district property on First Street near Bernal in 2002 to make room for the district daycare center, the city took over the courts at PMS.

"We just resurfaced them," noted Parks Director Jim Wolfe after the meeting. That part of the campus is never locked, he added.

Bill Nandor, who said he coaches at Amador Valley High School and Foothill and runs a youth program at ClubSport Pleasanton, said he sees more and more young people playing tennis, so the need for additional city courts is there.

"I have kids all the time asking me to open courts or meet them somewhere," he said. "It would be great to have courts to go to."

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