Boyle Park Tennis Court Renovation May Be a Go: City Now Searching for Funds

The tennis community in Mill Valley is in great shape. Hopefully, the same will soon be said about the city’s 80-year-old Boyle Park Tennis Courts, which have fallen into “deplorable,” embarrassing,” and “unsafe” conditions over the past decade, residents said.

After years of community requests for improvements to the courts, the City Council on Monday agreed to support a recommendation from the Parks and Recreation Department that calls for $650,000 in restorations for all five courts. The project involves completely replacing the lower courts, and resurfacing and paining the upper courts, which are in relatively better shape. It also addresses everything from drainage issues – which has led to many of the cracks on the courts – to fencing, lighting, the addition of retaining walls, installing new poles and nets, and path upgrades to meet ADA accessibility standards.

When Mill Valley Recreation Director Jenny Rogers started her position last June, dismay over the state of the Boyle Park tennis courts was one of the first matters of business that residents brought to her attention.

“It’s been a dream deferred for many in the community,” Rogers said. “So I’d like to make this dream a reality.” 

Show Me the Money 

The sticking point, however, is one that tennis advocates have been trying to resolve for the last three years.

“There’s more to come on how to pay for the project,” Rogers said.

In June the City Council agreed to move forward on fixing multiple cracks and drainage issues on the courts, but first allocated $50,000 to develop a design and engineering plan and directed that $77,000 in community donated funds be used for feasibility study of the tennis court renovations.

This proposal is a result of that plan, and residents have also raised about $80,000 for the construction. But it’s up in the air as to where the remaining $570,000 would come from.

“My expectation is we’ll have some form of partnership with the residents,” said City Manager Jim McCann. “I know we don’t have $570,000 bouncing around lose in our budget.”

Councilmembers discussed the possibility of taking out a bond, and McCann said the city staff plans to “have good conversations about what the numbers are, and what the city can provide, “ and will present the funding options to the Council in June.

Although the Council’s decision to support the improvement plan was met with applause from the audience, some remained skeptical about the city’s commitment to help pay for the project.

“It’s basically saying the community has to raise the money,” said Mill Valley resident Marcella Savino.

“Which we started three years ago,” said resident Marie Van Elder.

A Treasured Asset That Should be Restored

As the courts have continued to deteriorate, the number of people playing on them has grown significantly. Revenue from passes, lessons and drop-ins has more than doubled in the past five years, from $67,537 in 2009 to $147,448 in 2013, according to the staff report from Rogers.

Mill Valley resident Eric Crowe said the courts are also a significant part of the city and have been a great source of enrichment in the past.

“We’ve lost that,” Crowe said “And I think that is important to the community, above and beyond all the avid tennis players who just want to go out there and hit. It extends beyond tennis and into a real quality of life. I hope that will be considered when we get down to the hard numbers.”

The City Council received 30 letters in support of the Parks and Recreation Committee’s restoration proposal. Many recalled meeting their spouses at the Boyle Park tennis courts, and had fond memories of friendly games that added to the social fabric of the city.

Once a treasured asset that drew well known tennis players, many residents also commented on how the unsafe cracks and overwhelming weeds are now driving people away.

Julie Chun, who has captained the Marin League Boyle Park Women’s Tennis Team for 10 years, moved to another Marin County site for the 2013 season “because the Boyle Courts are becoming unplayable for morning matches.”

Residents spoke of sprained ankles from falling in the cracks, and said the courts were an embarrassment to the community and an eyesore in the middle of the city.

“Our courts are in shambles,” wrote Mill Valley resident Linda Gordon. “The soil underneath is coming up causing injuries due to slippage. I have played on public courts for years and ours are in the worst condition of any multi-court settings.”

City Councilors agreed, saying it’s an issue that will finally be addressed.

“Thank you for your perseverance and patience,” said Councilmember Stephanie Moulton-Peters. “You’re in the pipeline now. It’s going to happen. I hope it can be created in our financing.”

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