Proposed Tennis Court Development

[Susie Schillaci]

Good Morning,

This evening the Council will be looking at a proposal for additional tennis courts to be added in the County. One of the locations is the open space  below the Western Area Park.  I believe it is being called Mesa Meadow.  My family and I strongly disagree with this location for additional tennis courts.

I happen to live in this neighborhood and my backyard faces the open space being considered for these tennis courts. I have lived here for 17 years and the open space is largely why we chose to live in this neighborhood. 

This space is used daily by the residents of the neighborhood as well as many others.  The path system throughout the neighborhood, combined with the Western Area park, the open space and the tennis courts, was very well thought out.  The Western Area Neighborhood is such a gem in this Community. The open space is an integral part of making the Western Area such a cohesive and integrated neighborhood. On a daily basis I see upwards of 2 dozen people using the open space. People use this space to walk their pets, family walks, running, biking, bird watching, playing and building forts, gathering for picnics, and simply running into neighbors and catching up on news. Additionally this space is habitat to many animals, such as owls, migratory birds, rabbits, coyotes, etc.

The topic of tennis courts has come up now for a second time since I have lived here in this neighborhood.  Currently there are 4 courts in the Western Area and it is used by tennis players periodically but it is also used by walkers, skateboarders, bikers, roller skaters, etc. nearly as frequently as it is used by tennis players. I just don't see how an additional four tennis courts with lightning will add any value to this space.  Nor do I see  a need for additional courts since the four are already minimally used.

Adding tennis courts in this neighborhood would perhaps solve the problem of periodically needing more courts for tournaments but it would introduce so many other problems.  Removing mature trees would wipe out the habitat for many animals. The trees provide shade and reduce the heat in the area. The noise and light pollution would be another issue.  I invite all of you to walk the neighborhood before making any decisions.  Please come to my backyard as the only thing separating me from the proposed courts is a sidewalk.

Thank you for you time and efforts,

Susie Schillaci

1143 45th St.

505-500-2384