This is in response to the various letters lamenting the state of the Memorial Tennis Courts. I have been a member of the Manhasset Athletic Advisory Committee (MAAC) for the last 6 years, and have chaired this committee for the last 2 years. One of the issues we regularly addressed was the improvement of athletic facilities, and the tennis courts in specific. As a positive the upper courts were totally resurfaced this past year and look great. I agree that the Memorial courts are not adequately maintained. However to adequately maintain clay tennis courts the following must be done (source: USTA Construction & Maintenance Manual):

Pre-season:

--Court must be thoroughly dried and then rolled to firmness using a filled or partially filled water-ballast roller

--The rolled surface must be scratched with an iron rake or scarifier to a depth of at least 1/4"

--Loosened clay should be raked with a leaf rake to remove stones

--1-2 cubic yards of finely screened clay should be spread, and then dragged with a mat to spread top dressing in to depressions. Then rolled again with a heavier roller.

--Surface is then sprinkled and allowed to dry.

--This Process Must Then Be Repeated Numerous Times Until Surface Is Smooth, Hard, and Uniform.

That is just the maintenance required in the preseason! Regular maintenance includes watering, rolling, brushing, and raking on a DAILY basis. In addition there needs to be regular spreading on top dressing and court conditioners.

As you can imagine, in a school district with three grounds employees who are responsible for four schools and over 40 acres, this is not feasible. (And the verbal abuse that is sometimes directed at these employees who are trying to do the best they can with very limited resources is uncalled for.) This past year, there were over 2,300 student athletes playing on multi-purpose fields and over 1,000 playing on triangular fields (grades 2-12). Based on that, it is unrealistic to expect a massive reallocation of resources. Also, Dr. Dave Dorman, who is the MHS Varsity tennis coach, has explained that for every day of rain, the clay courts are out of commission for at least another day or two. The MAAC in conjunction with the school administration and outside groups such as the Indians Rock Community Fund are actively seeking to improve tennis facilities and increase the number of courts. Remembering that since the Memorial courts are first and foremost a school facility that the community has access to, the first priority should be to make these courts playable for the most student athletes possible. I would urge the administration to consider changing the surface to lower maintenance composition in any type of renovation, so that weather would not be such a factor, and playability would be improved for both student athletes and the community.

Robert D. English