FELLSMERE — The aging tennis court across the street from Fellsmere Elementary School is finally undergoing the much-anticipated renovations originally scheduled for last Fall.
“We had some serious delays from National,” said U.S. Tennis Association Florida’s Janet Sprague, referring to U.S.T.A. National.
The project was supposed to have gotten started last October or November. Instead, necessary documentation for the national office has pushed back the work. Sprague said the office needed more and more photos to document the state of the tennis court and held up the start to address ADA-compliant sidewalks and gate.
The national office oversees 10,000 projects annually, Sprague said.
“It’s a lot of red tape,” she said, even for a $5,000 project.
As of press, the work crew was waiting on a gate to secure the tennis court before resurfacing and painting the court.
The court will be striped to accommodate both youth and adult tennis.
Adults will be able to play as they have, using the current north-south orientation of the court. Two youth courts will be painted with an east-west orientation over the adult court’s lines. Portable nets will be available to make the youth courts usable.
If there are no further delays, the U.S.T.A. Florida plans to host a grand re-opening for the tennis court on June 7 starting at 10 a.m. Organizers plan on holding a family fun day with various activities and entertainment.
“We hope to have a nice crowd out there,” she said.
Among those the U.S.T.A. wants to reach are the Hispanic children of Fellsmere. Hispanics make up more than 80 percent of the city’s population, Sprague said.
“We’re really not reaching that audience,” she said.
It’s the main reason why Sprague recommended Fellsmere’s to be one of a handful of courts in the region to be targeted for improvements. The region Sprague represents includes Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Palm Beach counties.
Lake Worth, in Palm Beach, and Indiantown, in Martin, are two other towns the USTA Florida has identified as having a need for renewed tennis programs.
Shannon Gillen and Emily Dimatteo are physical education teachers at Fellsmere Elementary who are excited about the reconstruction of the tennis court.
“They were looking rough,” Gillen said of the court.
She and Dimatteo plan to use the tennis court to incorporate racket sports in their curriculum. Given the delays in getting the court fixed up, Fellsmere Elementary wasn’t able to establish a racket sports unit this school year. Instead, Gillen hopes to implement it in the fall for the 2014-15 school year.
“These kids have never experienced anything with rackets,” Gillen said, explaining that the children are more familiar with soccer.
The school has used the court before, with the City’s approval, according to Gillen. They expect to work out an agreement between the City and the U.S.T.A. to have access to the court for physical education.
Sprague said she wants Fellsmere Elementary to store the $1,000 worth of tennis equipment – including portable tennis nets – but she has not yet gotten the necessary approvals.
Though the plan is to have a tennis program for youth and adults through the U.S.T.A. and access for the Fellsmere Elementary students, Sprague said she wants children, teens and adults to use the court at their leisure.
“My hope is the community will rally around it,” Sprague said. “I want it to be a community court.”
After the court is redone, Sprague said the U.S.T.A. will hire an instructor for a set period of time to establish a 10 and Under youth program at the court. The instructor will also be tapped to identify a volunteer mentee to keep the program going once the instructor’s time is up.
Sprague said it is crucial to find volunteers willing to learn how to manage such tennis programs.
While the funds for the rehabilitation of the court and the temporary program coordinator have been secured, Sprague said U.S.T.A. Florida would appreciate sponsorships or donations to help fund tennis equipment and additional programs.
Anyone interested in learning more about the USTA Florida’s project, getting involved, or donating, is encouraged to contact Janet Sprague by calling or texting (561) 385-7399 or emailing Sprague@florida.usta.com. They can also visit USTA Florida’s website: www.florida.usta.com.
