Work on Palmetto Bay’s Village Tennis Center to upgrade and improve a number of features, begun in mid-September, was finished near the end of October and the courts are open again, according to Parks and Recreation director Fanny Carmona- Gonzalez.
“The work is complete,” Carmona- Gonzalez said. “We have completely renovated the entire court with a brand new sports lighting system, resurfacing of the courts, new blended lines for the 10-and-under kids, cabana benches with canopies and bleachers on Court One.”
Part of the colorful blue and green resurfacing of the courts involved adding “blended lines” which indicate smaller size court dimensions than the adult court markings.
“There are more than 1.4 million kids 10 years and under playing tennis nationally,” Carmona-Gonzalez explained. “Along with these lines, the program uses a different ball which is lighter and different color that’s easier for them to see and hit.”
Christian Moreira, 9, who is a Cutler Bay resident, is one of those young players. A three-year tennis veteran, Moreira currently competes with the Coral Reef Minions, one of the juvenile tennis teams at Coral Reef Park’s tennis center. He is a student of Tennis Center coaches Leroy Pettis and Kara Borromeo.
Along with the covered benches that have been added, the other major improvement, which fulfils requests made by area players at town hall meetings, is a new sport lighting system that provides better lighting at night for all courts in the complex. The poles, fixtures, conduit, wiring and control system are completely new, and the lights not only have baffles to limit light to the playing areas and reduce glare to neighboring homes, they can be turned on and off remotely by park staff by phone or via the Internet.
The contractor is providing 25 years of free maintenance for the sports lighting system, which includes changing bulbs. Carmona-Gonzalez is pleased that the entire project was brought in under budget. She said she hopes residents will enjoy the improved tennis center.
“I just want people to come out and see and experience it for themselves,” Carmona-Gonzalez said.
For information call the tennis office at 305-253-8655 or visit online at <www.palmettobay-fl.gov>.
