CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Preston Howle has been playing tennis since 1972. “I found I really enjoyed it. … It wasn’t one of those sports where you had to get a team together like baseball.”
But the former president of the Clarksville Tennis Association is frustrated that Clarksville has so few places to play.
“Bowling Green (Kentucky) has a population of 72,000 people and Clarksville has a population of 166,000,” he said. “Bowling Green has an $8.2 million facility, and Murfreesboro has a wonderful facility with both indoor and outdoor tennis courts.”
By contrast, Clarksville has just eight public courts at Swan Lake, 2002 Sanders Road, and eight available at Austin Peay State University, at 580 Drane St.
That may soon change, though, with a proposal to build a new county-owned tennis complex at the Carmel Elementary School campus.
Not enough courts
The current president of Clarksville Tennis Association Dave Johnston, agreed with Howle’s assessment.
“I am quite certain that there is no other city in America with a 150k population that has no indoor courts … and only eight courts available for public use,” Johnston said. “A typical city this size would have at least 40-50 outdoor courts and at least six to eight indoor courts.”
Johnston said he appreciated improvements at the Swan Lake facility, which include new lights, but said there just simply are not enough courts to accommodate the tennis community.
“On every weeknight from spring until the end of summer, the courts are filled with people taking lessons (on Mondays) or leagues. Both our Wednesday and Thursday night leagues had more people sign up than we could really accommodate,” he said.
He said the lack of courts is inhibiting the growth of tennis locally.
“Clarksville deserves a top-notch facility with indoor courts and both clay and hard courts outside,” he said.
Solution proposed at Carmel
One partial solution may be coming for players, in a proposed Montgomery County facility just east of Clarksville.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School Board heard a proposal Tuesday night for a tennis complex on the campus of Carmel Elementary.
Sally Burchett, county Parks and Recreation director, said the 11-acre property near the school at 4925 Sango Road could be utilized for an 18-court tennis complex complete with a tennis club house, challenge course, and a future sidewalk connection, as well as 108 parking spaces with a drop-off point.
While the property belongs to the school, it was intended for use as a public park, Burchett said. It would have to be transferred to Montgomery County’s name to qualify for grant funds, which would pay for designing a tennis court complex.
CMCSS Director of Operations Norm Brumblay told the board he recommended exploring the option, as it would provide good opportunities for students who played tennis.
Repairs planned at Rossview courts
Meanwhile, the school district is working on repairs to some serious problems at the Rossview High School’s tennis courts.
The district is working through the bid process for a project that will include repairs and resurfacing of the courts, according to Anthony Johnson, spokesperson CMCSS. The goal is to have repairs done by Dec. 15.
“Although the court conditions are not optimal at this time, three of the four courts are still usable for off-season practice,” Johnson said. “During the time the courts will be repaired, the school and district will partner with other schools and community partners to ensure students have courts for off-season practice.”
Lots of sports, lots of needs
Casey Williams, spokesperson for the City of Clarksville, said the city constantly hears from residents who are involved in sports and looking for more facilities.
“The ones we hear from the most include track and field, lacrosse, football, travel softball and baseball, basketball, pickleball, soccer, rugby, and that’s just to name a few,” he said.
“We are aware there are lots of tennis players in Clarksville and we want to make sure they have high quality places to play and plenty of access,” Williams said. “To that effect, we did improve the lighting at Swan Lake so courts can be open later, expanding the hours for users.”