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Outstanding Facilities: Level Best!

RSI and ASBA bring you the best in tennis court construction and design.

In 2012, there were 15 tennis winners in the RSI/American Sports Builders Association Facility-of-the-Year Awards program. Ten of those winning projects were multi-court outdoor facilities, possibly an indication that, as tennis participation growth has improved in the U.S., both municipal and private multi-court projects are again on the rise, too.

Each year, based on entries submitted by an ASBA member who designed or built the facility or court, the association selects outstanding tennis facilities that meet the standard of excellence in design and construction determined by the judging committee. For 2012, the panel of judges deemed 15 courts or facilities to be worthy of special recognition, but three of those winners were chosen for “Outstanding” honors:

• Clay W. & Lynn B. Hamlin Tennis Center at Penn Park, Philadelphia
• A residential court in Boca Raton, Fla.
• Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility at University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Award plaques to the three Outstanding winners and recognition for the Distinguished winners were presented at the ASBA Technical Meeting held in December in Orlando, Fla. For more information, visit sportsbuilders.org.

Distinguished Facility Honors

In addition to the Clay W. & Lynn B. Hamlin Tennis Center at Penn Park, the residential court in Boca Raton, Fla., and the Roberta Alison Baumgardner indoor tennis facility at the University of Alabama, these 12 locations were chosen by the 2012 panel of judges for the ASBA as excellent examples of court construction, receiving Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards. You’ll read more about them in upcoming issues of RSI. (The nominating company is in parentheses.)

• Bernstein Residence, Delray Beach, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.)
• Doral Park Country Club, Doral, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.)
• George S. Gibbs Tennis Center at Huntingdon College, Montgomery, Ala. (Lower Bros Co. Inc.)
• Gulf Coast Tennis Club, Gulf Shores, Ala. (Fast-Dry Courts Inc.)
• Koch Tennis Center, Omaha, Neb. (L.E.R. Inc., dba Renner Sports Surfaces)
• Randolph-Macon College Tennis Court Complex, Ashland, Va. (Tennis Courts Inc.)
• Sevierville City Park, Sevierville, Tenn. (Baseline Sports Construction LLC)
• The Sports Club at Mediterra, Naples, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.)
• Timber Pines Community Association Inc., Spring Hill, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.)
• Toscana Country Club, Indian Wells, Calif. (Zaino Tennis Courts Inc.)
• Virginia Beach Tennis & Country Club, Virginia Beach, Va. (Tennis Courts Inc.)
• Williams Bollettieri Tennis Center at the Robins Campus of The Collegiate School, Goochland, Va. (Tennis Courts Inc.)

Outdoor Tennis Facility-of-the-Year Award

Clay W. & Lynn B. Hamlin Tennis Center at Penn Park Philadelphia, Pa.

The 24-acre Penn Park is on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Since the site is near the Schuylkill River, where existing soils weren’t ideal, the area for the 12-court Hamlin Tennis Center needed to be reinforced with concrete piers. The varsity courts are depressed about 5 feet and the JV courts about 3 feet; pre-cast concrete retaining walls enclose the depressed courts. The lighted hard courts are on post-tensioned concrete slabs and separated into four batteries, with an elevated walkway between them that allows for spectator viewing.

Nominated By: Stantec Sport

Architect/Engineer: Stantec Sport Group

Specialty Contractor: Sportsline Inc.

Suppliers: Aer-Flo, Riteway Crack Repair, DecoTurf, Edwards/Roldri, J.A. Cissel Corp.

Number of Courts: 12

Completed: September 2011

Indoor Tennis Facility of the Year

Roberta Alison Baumgardner Tennis Facility at University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The University of Alabama built a 12-court outdoor complex in 2004 and left an area nearby for a potential future site. When funding was made available recently, a new six-court indoor facility was built, and includes a mezzanine for spectator viewing, an entrance lobby with restrooms, and plenty of storage. A large retaining wall was installed on one side of the property, and berms were built on another side to minimize the visible portion of the building. Spacing between courts was expanded to 18 feet to provide more room for the players, and translucent panels are used in vertical walls, allowing for an abundance of natural daylight.

Nominated By: Lower Bros. Co. Inc.

Specialty Contractor: Lower Bros. Co. Inc.

Suppliers: J.A. Cissel, DecoTurf, LSI Industries Inc.

Number of Courts: 6

Completed: January 2012

Residential Tennis Facility of the Year

Boca Raton Residence

Boca Raton, Fla.

This new, lighted, sub-irrigated court, with American Red Har-Tru Hydroblend surface, was built for an orthopedic surgeon who wants his four children to learn tennis on a clay court, for reduced pressure on the joints and back. Access to the site was from the back of a neighbor’s property, and the proximity to the pool and deck required measures for elevation changes, including integrating steps into the perimeter curbing. Drainage is achieved with the grass swale around the exterior.

Nominated By: Fast-Dry Courts Inc.

Architect/Engineer: Fast-Dry Courts Inc.

Contractor: Fast-Dry Courts Inc.

Suppliers: Har-Tru, Fast-Dry Courts & 10-S Tennis Supply, Techlight

Completed: June 2011

From the February 2013 issue
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