Who's in charge of public tennis courts?
The long, cold, and hard winter seems to have finally begun to break. One of the first things I like to do in spring is get outside and play tennis on a sunny day. I used to live across from Riverside Park and loved having the public pool, golf course and tennis courts right across the street from my townhouse. Unfortunately tennis isn't happening again early this year. All the public courts around Libertyville have no nets and are even locked. Would someone please give me a clue why public tennis courts without nets need to be locked up in winter? Why tennis courts in winter are at risk for vandalism is another question without any apparent answer. I grew up during the tennis boom of the '70s and can remember when people would actually shovel snow off tennis courts to play all winter long. Courts back then were always open and were never locked up. Many golf courses are already open and some are open year-round. When I peruse my Libertyville Parks and Recreation summer brochure a few things begin to come into focus. The local privately owned and operated tennis club, The Libertyville Club, administers much of the tennis programs for kids and beginners. They use their club with the added benefit that residents can "try the Libertyville Tennis and Fitness Club program without becoming a club member." Lessons for ages 5 to adult cost about $20/hour. Outdoor lessons at the public facility with an instructor that the Village has hired cost almost half as much, $12.50. I'd venture to guess that the Parks and Recreation department has contracted with the private clubs to "manage" the public courts. The private Libertyville club has sister clubs in Lincolnshire and Kenosha where you can also find plenty of public courts down the street with no nets and locked up solidly. The city parks and recreation department needs to improve access to valuable public facilities and either begin "managing" the courts themselves or begin to supervise the private management a bit closer. The public is getting shortchanged.
Paul Showers
Libertyville