There’s a New Task Force in Town

By Chrissy Cerretani

 

 

 

                 “Friends of Reading Tennis” (FRT) co-founders Lorraine Salter and Kate Kaminer have sat on Reading’s Recreation Committee for sixteen years and have watched the tennis courts on Bancroft Avenue decay to what has become an embarrassing eye-sore to Reading’s tennis playing community.  Ten years ago, the tennis courts were top surface coated in an attempt to cover up the cracks and smooth over the playing surface.  However, the unsightly conditions have since resurfaced and prove to be even more severe today.

Salter and Kaminer have grown tired of hearing negative comments from Reading residents, as well as Reading Tennis Open (RTO) Tournament players who travel from other towns to play in the annual tournament on the Reading Tennis Courts.  They have listened time and again as Town residents, local tournament players, and Middlesex League High School tennis team players complain about the bad bounces, the large cracks in the courts, the grass growing up through the asphalt, and the warped surfaces, as well as witnessed Reading’s residents leaving Reading to travel to other towns to play in order to avoid these hazardous conditions.

 

 “Reading townspeople who play tennis are not playing here. They are going to other towns because our facility is so bad,” says Lorraine Salter, “They are an eye-sore, and an insult to the Reading Memorial High School tennis teams who have advanced year after year to state championship level play.” 

 

Reading resident and FRT supporter Jane Cerulo agrees with Salter saying, “I just started playing tennis 4 years ago, I love it, and I don’t want to have to travel to other communities to play tennis, but the Reading courts are so bad.”

 

 

Earlier this year, Salter and Kaminer caught a glimpse of hope with the reconstruction being done to the high school facilities, but as cuts were made during the first high school facility renovation review, the hopes of a new tennis facility were defaulted (retired). 

Although the news was delivered without real surprise, Salter and Kaminer decided that they couldn’t sit idle any longer, and certainly did not want to wait another three years for the Tennis Court reconstruction effort to be revisited at town meeting, as was explained to them by Reading’s Town Manager.

 

“It is a need that has not been filled for years,” says Kate Kaminer, “It is the last facility in the Birch Meadow complex that has not received attention. The tennis courts were in the original plan, but when cost cutting began in the first review, the tennis courts were eliminated.”

 

Salter and Kaminer explain, “As long serving members of the Recreation Committee, our experience and expertise in understanding how municipal capital improvement projects come to fruition helped us to decide that it was time for this tennis facility to be addressed.” 

 

And thus the Friends of Reading Tennis Task Force was born, with one primary goal: To build a new, state of the art outdoor tennis facility to be called:

Reading Community Tennis Courts

 

The Friends of Reading Tennis Task Force (FRTTF) is an extension of the sixteen year old Friends of Reading Tennis booster club. The club that was originally founded by Salter and Kaminer, the year the Annual Reading Tennis Open (RTO) began.  

 

 “We are in the infancy stage,” says Kaminer and Salter, “but we have gained significant momentum with our committed team and we are determined to bring this project to reality in a timely fashion.”

 

The fourteen Member Task Force, is comprised of Reading Residents who are lending their expertise and influence in different fields to help get the project off the ground.  Reading’s Board of Selectmen member Rick Schubert, Reading’s School Committee member, Chris Caruso, Reading resident and professional grant writer, Katrin Wynns, Reading resident and publicist Jane Cerullo, and the Administrator of Reading Recreation John Feudo are a few of the dedicated members that serve on the FRTTF committee.

            

“The task force has key people involved and it would be nice to build something besides playgrounds because this facility is not just for kids, but for adults as well,” says Feudo, “Town Meeting has suggested that this project will be revisited in three years, but I would like to see this get done this year or next year.”

 

With a goal of breaking ground late summer/early fall 2007 and being ready to play on in spring 2008, the Friends of Reading Tennis Task force are currently focusing their efforts on researching the necessary actions that are involved in rebuilding a complete state of the art facility that includes fencing and lights.  So far, they have found that there are two types of courts that can be built.  Post Tension Courts, which cost $400, 000 roughly and includes fencing, have a 10 year crack guarantee, a resurfacing/painting upkeep of $24, 000 for six courts every 6-8 yrs, and an approximate 60-80 year period of use before the courts have to be completely rebuilt, and Traditional Asphalt Courts (the type of court that currently exists and cost the town of Reading $50, 000 to resurface and crack seal ten years ago) cost $200, 000 roughly, includes fencing, and have a 1 year crack guarantee with an approximate 15-20 year period of use before the courts have to be completely rebuilt. 

Adding the type of lights that are conducive to night tennis and those that are contained only to lighting the courts themselves may cost roughly $30,000, but Recreation Administrator John Feudo plans on meeting with sports outfit Consultants (including the RMHS project manager) and tennis court construction companies with Salter and Kaminer to gain a better perspective of overall project costs.  These meetings will also help determine what type of court/facility would fit best in the footprint of the existing Reading Tennis facility.

          

           “I want to do this right and I want to hire a consultant who can guide us and give us the right advice as to what kind of facility, and which type of courts would be best for Reading to build,” said Feudo, “A consultant generally costs between 12-15% of the overall total cost of the project.  But, a consultant can write the specs, design, and do the public bidding for us, and spending a little more money up front for a consultant is more responsible than not spending, and then ending up building something that we don’t want or costs too much for upkeep in the long run.”

 

The FRTTF is also in the process of researching various grants that are appropriate to apply for.  The United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) “Tennis in the Parks Community Grant” is one grant that the FRTTF is especially interested in.  The FRTTF is in the process of filling out the 2007 Tennis in the Parks 1st Year Community Pre-Assessment Form which is due February 9^th, 2007.  According to the USTA, if the town of Reading’s Pre-Assessment form is approved, and depending on which type of facility is going to be built, the FRTTF will be eligible to apply for either the Reconstruction Grant, which grants up to $35,000 or 20% of the total project budget (whichever is less) for any reconstruction of public tennis facilities of four courts or more, or, they may be eligible to apply for a New Construction Grant, which grants up to $50,000 or 20% of the total project budget (whichever is less) for any new construction of public tennis facilities of four courts or more. 

    

“The USTA has encouraged us to apply for this grant because as they said, Reading has historically been a center for tennis activity,” says Lorraine Salter, “if the USTA approves the grant, then USTA tournaments may come, and introduce a new caliber of tennis to Reading.”

 

If the Grant is approved Recreation Administrator Feudo insists that, “holding USTA events in Reading would be awesome, it would be an exciting opportunity to bring prestigious events to our town.”

 

The FRTTF has also made early contact with Representative Brad Jones’ office, the State office that was very proactive in helping the town of Reading acquire grant monies for the construction of the turf field behind Coolidge Middle School, in hopes of gaining a possible Massachusetts state grant as well.

 

“We have made early contact with Brad Jones’ office and are currently waiting for a reply,” said Salter.

 

In addition to applying for USTA, State, and other grant foundations, the task force plans on hosting old fashioned neighborhood fundraisers similar to those that helped bring the Reading YMCA project to fruition, and are hoping that private investors and local corporate sponsors will also provide financial assistance that will help move the Reading Community Tennis Court reconstruction project forward.

 

 “(Home Depot Developer) Mr. Dickinson came into this town and promised state of the art facilities so we would like to ask him to help put money back into the town like he promised,” says Lorraine Salter.

 

 “We hope that Mr. Dickinson will be a good corporate neighbor, as well as other people who have brought their businesses to this town,” says Kate Kaminer, “We expect them to help give back to the community by helping to support community needs.”

 

Ultimately the task force hopes that their collective fundraising efforts will be recognized by the town so that the town of Reading will provide its portion of financial assistance sooner rather than later.

 

“The task force views its mission as a financial supplement to what the town is expected to invest in this project.”  Lorraine Salter says, “The town has become forward thinking in terms of putting in turf athletic fields in order to be more capable for long term use down the road, and the Town Manager voiced his interest in hearing all options regarding construction of the tennis facility.”

 

Salter continues, “We are hoping that if some of the grants are awarded and our fundraising efforts are successful, our cause to push this project forward sooner than later will become an obvious action that the town would want to pursue.”

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If all goes according to plan, the Friends of Reading Tennis Task Force says that the new Tennis facility will bring more to the town of Reading than just adding color to the Reading Athletic facility facelift and satisfying the tennis playing residents needs.

The FRTTF suggests that with the development of this new tennis facility, a plan to initiate a challenger tennis program for developmentally and physically challenged youth and adults is in place.  It will ultimately expand the existing challenger sporting programs that are currently offered in Reading.

 

“What a new facility like this would do for Reading, would be amazing; it would change the landscape of town tennis,” says Salter, “With a new facility, we can develop a challenger tennis program. This is something that we definitely, definitely want to do, and we would also like to offer programs to EMARC clients.” 

 

Salter explains, “We want to expand the tennis in Reading and prove that we can expand to other populations as well, maybe even including the wheelchair population.”

 

In addition to these programs, the recreational summer tennis program which consist of: USTA youth travel teams (boys and girls), individual lessons for all ages, youth and adult clinics, nightly adult round robins, and youth ladder competition, (all of which are conducted and supervised by a USTA certified tennis professional) will also become more attractive to Reading and neighboring towns residents if a new facility is built.

Also, the Reading Tennis Open, whose proceeds go directly to the RMHS tennis teams for uniforms, balls, some awards and recently purchased ball machine, will also benefit having a new facility.  Since the RTO’s inception in 1991, the annual singles and doubles tennis tournament event has grown from approximately 125 entrants to over 275 enthusiastic tennis participants over the last sixteen years.  Because of the growth of this event, the tournament is currently held on two separate weekends with all skills levels ranging from junior and adult beginners, to club league level players, and advanced ranked USTA New England players also being represented.  With a new facility the FRTTF hopes that attendance will grow in all programs, thus putting revenue back into Reading Programs. 

And finally, The Friends of Reading Tennis Task Force suggest that the new facility will accommodate every one in the community as well as support existing and new programs.

 

“The task force wants to make clear that this is a sport that is life long.  All members of the Reading community who play tennis will have equal access to this new facility,” says FRTTF member Jane Cerullo, “It’s for everyone, children, older people, it is a public activity that you can participate in at all levels and all ages.”

 

 “What other facility serves an 80 yr. old, a 4 yr. old, a handicapped person,” asks FRT co-chair Kate Kaminer, “It is a life long sport that deserves a life long facility.”

 

It has been uttered by some that tennis simply “isn’t big anymore”, and maybe yes, the flash and pizzazz of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, and Andre Agassi may have dissipated over the years.  But, in the town of Reading, the Friends of Reading Tennis Task Force argue that tennis is actually alive and well.

 

           “Tennis is big in Reading, you just don’t see it because Reading residents are traveling to other towns to play because our facility in town is so bad,” says Salter, “The perception that tennis isn’t big in Town is erroneous, especially when our Reading Tennis Open tournament has more than doubled in participation, and the high school teams have annually made the state tournament over the last 10 yrs.” 

 

 “These reasons confirm the need to have a facility reflective of a sport that is highly participated in amongst Reading residents,” adds Kate Kaminer.

 

At the end of the day, the Friends of Reading Tennis Task Force are on a mission to build a state of the art facility that all of Reading’s townspeople can use and be proud of.  They want to bring the tennis playing residents of Reading back home, build new programs, and help put money back into the community.

 

 

For more information on this story, or if you would like to make a donation please contact Lorraine Salter at norshore@comcast.net or Kate Kaminer at kkaminer@comcast.net.