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Outstanding Facility-of-the-Year Awards: Two of a Kind

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

By Peter Francesconi

In 2016, there were 17 tennis project winners in the Tennis Industry/American Sports Builders Association (ASBA) Facility-of-the-Year Awards program. Fourteen of those winning projects were multi-court outdoor facilities, five of which were at schools or colleges, and two in public parks. Three award-winning projects were residential tennis courts.

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. While the panel of judges deemed 17 courts or facilities to be worthy of special recognition, two of those winners were chosen for “Outstanding” honors:

• Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va.
• Private Residential Court in Gladwyne, Pa.

Award plaques to the two Outstanding winners and recognition for the Distinguished winners were presented at the ASBA Technical Meeting held in early December in Amelia Island, Fla.

For more information, visit sportsbuilders.org.

Outstanding Outdoor Tennis Facility-of-the-Year Award

Army Navy Country Club

Arlington, Va.

The new tennis facility at the Army Navy Country Club includes 14 Har-Tru courts with subsurface irrigation (10 with lights) and four new asphalt tennis courts, along with cabanas, fencing and windscreens. The project was challenging due to wet weather during construction and limited access space for construction materials, but the final product was never compromised. An existing wall next to one battery of courts failed, destroying the fence line, hydro-court cells, sleeves and light-pole foundations. The solution was to add extra stone to help with compaction and counteract the wet conditions. The wall was changed from poured concrete to a stacked block wall, and the light-pole footers were redesigned.

Nominated By: Tennis Courts Inc.

Specialty Contractor: Tennis Courts Inc.

Suppliers: Har-Tru Sports, LSI Industries, Edwards

Surface: 14 clay, 4 hard

Completed: September 2014

Outstanding Residential Tennis Facility-of-the-Year Award

Gladwyne Residence

Gladwyne, Pa.

Building this residential court with LED lighting was a coordinated effort that, in addition to a court contractor, included masons, excavators, electricians and landscapers. Set among steep slopes, the site had limited access for construction vehicles and materials. The concrete for the post-tensioned slab had to be pumped over 360 feet up a steep hill, and the concrete for the custom stone retaining walls had to be mixed on-site. The custom fencing of clear cedar posts and rails with mortise-and-tenon construction also was built on-site. A pre-cast channel drain was installed on the court, while yard drains were installed to catch perimeter water run-off. The entire drainage system attaches to a storm-water management system constructed under the court.

Nominated By: Pro-Sport Construction Inc.

General Contractor: Pro-Sport Construction Inc.

Suppliers: California Sports Surfaces, Tech-Con, Aer-Flo, Har-Tru Sports, Techlight

Surface: Plexipave

Completed: August 2015

Distinguished Tennis Facility Honors

In addition to the Army Navy Country Club in Arlington, Va., and the residential court in Gladwyne, Pa., these 15 locations were chosen by the 2016 panel of judges for the ASBA as excellent examples of court construction, receiving Distinguished Facility-of-the-Year Awards. The ASBA also awarded Silver and Bronze awards in various categories. (The nominating company is in parentheses.)

• Beach Club Tennis Facility, Palm Beach, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.)
• Bonita National, Bonita Springs, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.)
• Briarwood Christian School, Birmingham, Ala. (Holcombe Norton Partners Inc.)
• College Boulevard Activity Center Tennis Complex, Olathe, Kan. (McConnell & Associates Corp.) Bronze Award, Outdoor Facility
• Dorado Beach Resort and Club, Dorado, Puerto Rico (Fast-Dry Courts Inc.)
• Dublin School Tennis Facility, Dublin, N.H. (Cape and Island Tennis & Track)
• Forest Hills Eastern High School Tennis, Complex, Ada, Mich. (GMB Architecture + Engineering)
• George S. Eccles Tennis Center, Salt Lake City, Utah (Tennis and Track Co.) Silver Award, Outdoor Facility
• HSU Residence, Birmingham, Ala. (Lower Bros. Co. Inc.) Silver Award, Residential Court
• Ibis Golf & Country Club Tennis Facility, West Palm Beach, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.)
• Meadowwood Park Tennis Facility, Aurora, Colo. (Renner Sports Surfaces)
• Pinecrest Residence, Pinecrest, Fla. (Fast-Dry Courts Inc.) Bronze Award, Residential Court
• Sage Hill School Aquatic Center & Tennis Courts, Newport Coast, Calif. (Zaino Tennis Courts Inc.)
• SUNY Cortland, Cortland, N.Y. (E-Z Paving/Sealcoat LLC)
• Talis Park Tennis Facility, Naples, Fla. (Welch Tennis Courts Inc.)

The deadline for the 2017 Outstanding Facility-of-the-Year Awards is June 1, and awards will be presented at the 2017 ASBA Technical Meeting, to be held in New Orleans, La., Dec. 1-5. For details, contact the ASBA at 866-501-ASBA or info@sportsbuilders.org, or visit sportsbuilders.org.

See all articles by Peter Francesconi

About the Author

Peter Francesconi is editorial director of Tennis Industry magazine.

From the February 2017 issue
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