MVCC making changes

RICK DEVEREUX

There is a reality TV show where contestants see the best plastic

surgeons, cosmetic dentists and therapists in hopes of turning an

ugly duckling into a swan. While never an ugly duckling, the Mesa

Verde Tennis Club might win if it was a contestant considering all of

the changes taking place and being planned.

To begin with, all 10 tennis courts were resurfaced with

Plexipave, the same surface used at Flushing Meadows in New York. The

process started May 3 and people were swinging racquets on the new

courts May 14.

Randy Meyers, director of tennis, said using the same surface as

the one used at the U.S. Open was no coincidence.

“We designed it to be the same surface and color as Flushing

Meadows,” Meyers said.

One of the better advantages of the new surface is that it is all

one shade. The Mesa Verde courts were darker inside the line and

lighter outside, but the new surface is now a constant lighter green

both, inside and out.

“It makes it more comfortable on the eyes,” Rolf Jaeger, chairman

of the tennis committee and member of the Board of Directors, said.

“The color is optimum, making it easier to see the yellow ball and it

won’t get as dirty as the previous court.”

The play will be a bit slower than Mesa Verde’s original courts,

but that is a good thing.

“The Plexipave is a slow-to-medium surface, which is better for

every level of player,” Jaeger said.

Jaeger said 10 contractors were negotiating for the job, all

offering different surfaces for different prices, some as high as

$4,500 per court and some as low as $2,900. Jaeger said the Plexipave

was chosen because it was the best surface at the best value. The

total cost was $30,000, or $3,000 per court.

The courts needed to be resurfaced because tiny cracks were

collecting water and damaging the concrete. Those cracks were

repaired before the new surface was applied.

“It needed to be redone for regular maintenance,” Meyers said.

“Courts need to be resurfaced every six to eight years and it was

just time for ours to be redone.”

Mesa Verde is also planning on adding a new 5,000-square-foot

tennis clubhouse. There was a membership meeting Saturday to finalize

the plans and how it will be funded.

The timing of announcing a new tennis clubhouse comes on the heels

of last year’s multi-million-dollar remodeling of the golf clubhouse.

But Jaeger said the tennis clubhouse would benefit all Mesa Verde

members, golf and tennis.

“We plan on having an 800-square-foot gym with stationary bikes,

treadmills and weights,” Jaeger said.

Jaeger said the resurfacing of the courts had no correlation to

the proposed new clubhouse.

“League play just finished and junior action starts at the start

of June, that is why we chose May [to resurface the courts],” he

said.

Along with the physical additions of resurfaced courts and the

prospective additions of a clubhouse and possible gym, Mesa Verde is

redesigning its thinking toward the nonmembers.

In what has been described as “neighborhood day,” Mesa Verde is

planning on allowing Costa Mesa residents to try out its facilities.

The promotion will be on an upcoming Saturday and the only rule is no

black sole shoes that will leave marks on the courts. The club will

provide racquets and balls free of charge.

Unlike the clubhouse plan, which requires member approval, the

open house will be determined by the tennis committee meeting later

this week.

Like the winners of the TV show, Mesa Verde will like what it sees

once all of the work is complete.