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Tennis players seek cleanup, get results
By TODD WRIGHT © St. Petersburg Times, published May 27, 2001 ST. PETERSBURG -- Soda cans, leaves and litter collected along the fence by the St. Petersburg Tennis Center. The sprinkler system flooded some of the courts and drenched the benches. Players had to maneuver their ground strokes around weeds that had sprouted. John Clement, a 79-year-old player who has been a member for decades, had already been through a lot with the city-owned club at 650 18th Ave. S. He was in attendance at the center to cheer on Hall of Famer Chris Evert when she won her first professional match. When the center was out of money some years ago, Clement was there to petition the city to take it over and keep it alive. After all of that, Clement and other members had seen enough this spring. In their view, the center needed to be fixed. They wrote letters to the mayor, signed petitions and agitated until it happened. Somewhat to their surprise, good changes have begun. "I have been a member of this center for over 30 years, and I think it has always been an asset to this community," Clement said. "I won't allow this great center to go down the drain." Raymond Sanderlin, an annual member of the center for nine years, said that "we were getting frustrated because our complaints were falling on deaf ears." Sanderlin, who sits on the Advisory Board, also said that "the management has responded recently to what we have sent them. The changes have come slowly, but you can see it happening." Bob Ruth, a member since March, had complained about the cleanliness of the center in a letter to Mayor Rick Baker. He described the debris along the fences and the flooding of the courts. "It was embarrassing to have players from other clubs come and see what we had to deal with," said Ruth. He, like many other members, travels from other communities to use the tennis center. City Recreation Director Sherry McBee agreed that some of the complaints were warranted, but said that those problems have been solved. She noted that the city has added new landscaping and fencing around all the courts and has re-painted the locker rooms. After receiving several letters from tennis center members, McBee decided to make an unannounced visit to the center to see the conditions firsthand. "We went out to the courts, and they were beautiful. I inspected the men's and women's locker rooms, and they were very clean," said McBee. McBee received a letter complimenting the city's efforts to beautify the center. The letter, signed by 24 members, credits the staff for such improvements. "I think the city has done a fine job with the upkeep of the center, considering how old it is and the amount of staff there," McBee said. Clement, the 30-year member, has been pleased. "The city has put many dollars into the center, and the members appreciate that," he said. "I will keep coming back to the center because there is a lot of value for the money it costs." Although some members are satisfied with the results of their petitioning, others feel the city still has a long way to go. Sanderlin believes that the tennis center's problems may continue. "Our complaints might seem small, but to someone with tennis knowledge, the upkeep of the court surfaces and other things would be important," he said.
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