Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards: Private Enterprise
These six residential court winners show style and substance.
For details on the 2010 Outstanding Facility-of-the-Year Awards, contact the ASBA at 866-501-ASBA or info@sportsbuilders.org, or visit sportsbuilders.org.
Private courts really show off style and creativity — both of the owners and of the court contractors. These six winners of the Racquet Sports Industry/American Sports Builders Association 2009 Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards show some wonderful details, in both the finished product and in the construction.
Five of these courts are new construction, including an amazing “sports complex” at a private residence in Jupiter, Fla., that has two courts — hard and clay — along with a bocce ball court and half-court basketball court. The owner has kids who are nationally ranked, traveling and playing tournaments on different surfaces. The family decided, after years of having the kids train at other facilities and camps between events, that it would be better for them to train at home, so they needed tournament-quality courts. The clay court has sub-surface irrigation, and both courts have tournament-quality lighting for play at all hours.
The other five winners are all hard courts, including the only upgrade in the group, the Anderson Residence in Beach Lake, Pa. The contractor widened the existing, undersized court area, installed new fencing and lighting, along with a post-tensioned concrete slab. The court now has a cushioned surface and a hitting wall. Time was spent on a perimeter drainage system because the original court was built close to a river and at the bottom of a severely sloped yard.
The hard court at the Keating Residence in Gladwyne, Pa., was built on a steep hill and required retaining walls on three sides. The township required a storm-water management system under the court with 2 inches of sub-base materials separating the system from the stone base of the court. Limited access meant that large-wheeled loaders had to be used to transport stone and asphalt to the construction site.
The new court at the Ienner Residence in Greenwich, Conn., is adjacent to the existing pool house, which itself posed some challenges. The contractor needed to remove and redirect all the pool filter lines, including HVAC and gas lines, under the court. He also needed to put in electrical lines for the lights under the pool house foundation. The driveway didn’t allow large dump trucks, so material had to be delivered in six-wheel vehicles. The court was designed as it was being built, with decisions made by the owner as the project unfolded.
The Campion Residence in Carleton, Ore., was built adjacent to an outdoor patio, allowing for player seating and shade. But the area had soft soil, from the many trees and decayed vegetation that had built up over many years, which required extensive excavation of the site. The new court in Parkland, Fla., also had to contend with nature. The customer wanted the court close to the property line, but there was a line of pine trees in the area that had a shallow root system that would destroy concrete and asphalt. The contractor had to cut out roots and built up the site.

Campion Residence, Carlton, Ore.
(Nominated by Atlas Track & Tennis, Tualatin, Ore.)
General Contactor: Atlas Track & Tennis
Surface: California Products-Plexipave
Fencing: Atlas Track & Tennis
Net, Center Strap: Douglas Industries

Anderson Residence, Beach Lake, Pa.
(Nominated by Pro-Sport Construction Inc., Berwyn, Pa.)
General Contractor: Pro-Sport Construction
Surface: California Products-DecoTurf
Lights: LSI
Net, Center Strap: J.A. Cissell
Posts: Lee Tennis

Ienner Residence, Greenwich, Conn.
(Nominated by DeRosa Tennis Contractors Inc., Mamaroneck, N.Y.)
Architect/Engineer: Sasaki Associates Inc.
General Contractor: DeRosa Tennis Contractors Inc.
Surface: California Products-Pro DecoTurf
Lighting: LSI Courtsider XL
Windscreens, Net, Posts, Center Strap: J.A. Cissel

Private Residence, Jupiter, Fla.
(Nominated by Fast-Dry Courts, Pompano Beach, Fla.)
Architect/Engineer: Fast-Dry Courts
General Contractor: Fast-Dry Courts
No. of Courts: 2
Hard Court: Nova Sports Combination with Deco Cushion
Clay Court: Lee Tennis Hydroblend
Sub-Surface Irrigation: Lee Tennis
Net Posts: J.A. Cissel
Windscreens: Putterman
Lighting: RLS TE 2000EC
Nets: Superior Court Supplies

Keating Residence, Gladwyne, Pa.
(Nominated by Pro-Sport Construction Inc., Berwyn, Pa.)
Surface: Laykold
Lights: LSI
Net, Posts, Windscreen: J.A. Cissel

Private Residence, Parkland, Fla.
(Nominated by Fast-Dry Courts, Pompano Beach, Fla.)
Architect/Engineer: Fast-Dry Courts
General Contractor: Fast-Dry Courts
Surface: Nova Sports Combination with Deco Cushion
Net Posts: J.A. Cissel
Windscreens: Putterman
Lighting: RLS TE1000EC
Net: Superior Court Supplies
See all articles by Peter Francesconi
About the Author
Peter Francesconi is editorial director of Tennis Industry magazine.
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