This Thursday, March 21, the School Board will decide whether or not to allow Reston Association to build a tennis bubble at South Lakes High School.
School staff have recommended that the board authorize the project. If the board does so, staff will negotiate a formal agreement with Reston Association regarding construction, use and operation of the facility. Board authorization will also give Reston Association the green light to start raising funds for the bubble.
Construction of the bubble, which is planned to cover six tennis courts, is estimated to cost $1.5 million. Although the School Board will be responsible for managing the bubble construction, funding for the bubble will come from donations. Gerry Volloy, executive vice president of the association, said he expects that a specialized organization will be created for the sole purpose of generating corporate and individual donations to the tennis bubble.
Because Reston Association will fund the bubble, Reston Association members will have the right to use the bubble when it is not in use by South Lakes students. The exact hours of bubble usage have not been established, but Tom Brady, Fairfax County Public Schools assistant superintendent from the Department of Facilities Services, said Reston Association usage will not cut into school usage.
"The school has a requirement for physical education," Brady said. "They'll be able to use it for that. And the tennis team is not going to lose any practice time."
ALTHOUGH AN EXACT schedule has not been hammered out, a draft schedule has been proposed by the Reston Tennis Partnership, a group of Reston residents that support tennis initiatives in Reston. The facility is proposed to be open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. From 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Reston Association will have priority use of the courts throughout the year. From 9 a.m. until 6 p.m., depending on the month, either Reston Association or South Lakes will have priority. For about half of the year, according to the proposal, each entity will have priority during that 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. stretch. South Lakes officials are trying to negotiate an agreement with the Reston Tennis Partnership to make the courts available to South Lakes students during school hours throughout the school year.
In a letter to the School Board, Burgess Levin, from the Reston Tennis Partnership, estimated the project to take two years. One year would be devoted to fundraising, the letter said, and the second year would be devoted to construction.
"To be safe, we would like the Fairfax County School Board to understand that the project would require up to three years to complete," Levin wrote.
THE PROPOSED BUBBLE covering would be made of a "permanent tension fabric," according to the Reston Tennis Partnership proposal. The proposal calls for a 600 to 900 square foot reception and locker area and 10 to 15 new parking spaces. Maintenance of the tent facility would be Reston Association's responsibility while maintenance of the court surface would fall to Fairfax County Public Schools. Brady said the South Lakes courts will be resurfaced on the same schedule established for courts across the county. He said that if Reston Association wants to install a surface of a higher grade than what Fairfax County regularly uses at school sites, the homeowners association would have to make up the difference. And, if additional community use wears down the court more quickly than normal, Brady said the school system would "prorate accordingly" and hand the bill to the Reston Association.
"Just because Reston Association builds this facility doesn't mean we would spend any more money," Brady said. "We just don't have it."
The proposal to cover tennis courts at South Lakes comes after several years spent searching for courts in Reston suitable for enclosure. After neighboring residents rejected proposals to cover Reston Association tennis courts, tennis advocates approached South Lakes High School officials. The school's tennis courts, situated in between the high school and neighboring Langston Hughes Middle School, do not border any homes.
"The community is excited," said Stuart Gibson, Hunter Mill District School Board representative. "It gives the community an opportunity and it gives South Lakes an opportunity."