How Many Tennis Courts Does Crestwood Really Need?

With a pair of tennis courts locked up for months due to wind and surface damage, Crestwood Park Board recommended Tuesday that the city do away with those courts altogether. They are in Crestwood Park, behind Long Elementary School.

"We don't have the money to fix them right now, the way they should be," said Todd Stover, Crestwood's Parks and Recreation director.

The city, Stover said, and the Park Board considered other options after learning it could cost as much as $100,000 to bring the two aging courts up to speed. The fencing was bent by high winds and rusted. The courts' surface is cracked to the base, officials said.

Stover, a city employee and not a voting member of the resident Park Board, suggested a sand volleyball court at the spot, after observing frequent use of the volleyball court outside the Community Center. Blue-sky estimates put that cost at about $5,000.

"There's a million things you could do with the parks if we have the money, be we don't have the money," Stover told board members Tuesday. The city has been grappling with the loss of some $2 million a year in sales tax revenue after Crestwood Court (the mall) lost Macy's, Dillards, and other shops.

Park Maintenance Supervisor Brian Hibdon seemed cool to the idea of a volleyball court at the park site. He suggested it could become a "hangout," the net vandalized, and collect trash. Hibdon is also a city employee, and not a voting member of the Parks Board.

"The question is how many tennis courts does the city need?" Hibdon said.

Stover said a survey showed Crestwood has more tennis courts per capita than the national average. Questions came up as to trends in sports, and whether tennis courts were as much in demand as in previous years.

Park Board members said they would like to see something done with the spot, but on  Tuesday voted only to demolish what they called the "unsafe" tennis courts. Their recommendation goes to the Board of Aldermen for a decision on what to do.

The Park Board intends to reconsider whether the city should put something else at the site during its July meeting at the Community Center. Playground equipment, basketball court and fitness equipment were deemed too costly. There are no nearby bathrooms or drinking water, officials said.

The Community Center has tennis courts with a high-tech surface that costs less to maintain, officials said. The courts are busy and require reservations.

Apparently, the city stopped taking reservations on the Crestwood Park courts years ago, because demand was nil. They've been locked up for months.

It was not immediately clear how many tennis courts the city does have.