City considering proposal to privatize Boone Park Tennis Complex

[grimss]

I'm cross-posting this from http://riverside-avondale.blogspot.com/ in case you missed this:

Boone Park has the city's largest tennis complex, with 14 clay courts, two hard courts, two beat walls, and lights for night play. Anyone who's ever played there knows it's a terrific neighborhood resource, and also incredibly cheap, with court rentals available for just a few dollars an hour, and an annual family membership of $175. It's utilized by some 3,000 players of all ages each month.

With the city facing a tough budget year, however, the Mayor is floating a plan to privatize the facility, as well as the San Marco Tennis Complex; he's looking for a public-private partnership to stretch city dollars for better services. Opponents of the plan worry that a private entity will do little more than jack up fees, without addressing necessary improvements. The City is hosting a meeting to discuss its proposal with interested parties; the date is April 6th at 6 pm in the Lynwood Roberts Room at City Hall.

[Ocklawaha]

Sounds like a Republican plan to me... TRICKLE DOWN TENNIS.

OCKLAWAHA

[grimss]

 

[Sigma]

Pay to play.

[Lunican]

Boone Country Club.

[Cliffs_Daughter]

Presentation from: “Recreation and Community Services Department “

                        Seek to enter into such a partnership agreement for the management of
                        Southside Tennis Complex & Boone Tennis Complex.

                        Speaker’s
                        Ms. K.(Kelly) Boree  (she's deputy director for RCSD)
                        Ms B.J. Laster

Seems the parks and rec are looking to offload them. And I was thinking it was a proposal from an outside source initiating this.

 

[Tripoli1711]

I don't think it going to private ownership should be immediately feared.  If there are "issues that need to be addressed" perhaps they will address them in order to ensure that their new investment remains profitable.  I doubt that they will immediately "jack up" the prices because that would probably result in a decrease of usage and revenues.  Whoever takes it over will want it to make as much money as possible.  That should work out fine because if you want it to bring in bucks, I wouldn't think you would let it turn into the proverbial crap-hole...

[mtraininjax]

The City made improvements to Boone Park? When did that happen. Perhaps they could add real parking as the first of many improvements, fix cracks in the foundations....the list is endless.

[Shwaz]

Isn't tennis for rich people? They can afford the new privatized costs.

[will]

The boone park tennis courts are one of the great things about riverside/avondale. It's a friendly, inexpensive, quality facility. A private owner will squeeze out every penny they can. This would be an awful development. I play there once or twice a week. It's the only decent facility that's NOT for rich people.

[vicupstate]

Let me guess  -- control of the facility will be committed for 35 years, and if the city doesn't do it, it will be sued for TONS of money, because of a really bad contract that the city signed years ago!!