Plan for KLM Platform Tennis Facility Approved by Parks Commission by an 8-0 Vote


This write-up was discussed at the March 15, 2004 Parks Commission meeting and approved in its entirety:

Task Force Recommendations on Platform Tennis Program


The shorter version:

Keith Medick, Mary Doten, Tina Porterfield, Andy Stephens, Bill O’Brien, and Paul Wiggin presented plans for the KLM Platform Tennis Facility. The Parks Commission approved the entire plan without changes by an 8-0 vote.

The next steps are:
 With help from the task force, Village staff will prepare a bid package for the courts.
 Caprio-Prisby, the architects, will create construction drawings to accompany the Village’s bid package for the warming hut.
 On April 5 at 7:30 PM, the Administration and Community Affairs Committee of the Village Board will be asked to approve the bidding of the project. If that goes well, the Village Board would approve this decision at their meeting on April 6.
 Contracts could then be awarded as soon as the ACA meeting on May 3 and Village Board meeting on May 4.

The longer version:

The Parks Commission, Village staff, and the Village Board received our 21-page write-up last Friday which lays out plans for the new facility and its programs (available on http://hinsdalepaddle.blogspot.com).

Keith introduced the task force members and described the topics in the presentation. In addition to the presenters, the paddle community was represented by Patti Doolas, Mark Gupta, Jim Mercurio, Brett Paulson, and Ted Shepherd. The reporters from The Doings and Suburban Life were absent from this meeting.

Fresh from winning the Nationals in Cleveland, Mary opened the presentation with a well-organized description of the goals for the new facility. She introduced the idea of an environmentally-friendly facility which Andy Stephens detailed later in the meeting.

Tina spoke next and enthusiastically related that fundraising pledges have already tripled the target amount suggested by the Parks Commission.

Next, Paul walked through the project budget and Keith the recommendations for annual fees.

Bill wrapped up the presentation with a discussion of the role that the Hinsdale Platform Tennis Association would play in years to come. The high point of the night occurred when Bill made an inadvertent reference to Kubrick and called co-ed paddle “mixed couples night”. It broke up what had been an overly serious presentation.

The commissioners spent a few minutes in discussion and then entertained a motion to adopt the complete set of recommendations from the task force. To our surprise, the vote went unanimously in favor of the plan. The most surprising comments were from two people previously opposed to the project. Bob Schaller remarked on the thoroughness of the proposal. Steve Sperry said that despite having been the commissioner most opposed to the project, he had “slowly been won over”.

Some further discussion happened after the motion passed, mostly building on Bill’s point about increasing recreational use of the paddle facility.