New clubhouse planned for MVTC

The Mesa Verde Tennis Club is starting to catch up with the Mesa

Verde Country Club in terms of redesign and renovation.

Last March the golf clubhouse received an $8.1 million renovation.

This May the tennis courts were resurfaced with Plexipave, the

same surface used at Flushing Meadows, N.Y., for the U.S. Open. But

between the beautiful courts and the pristine clubhouse lies the

tennis clubhouse.

“It was a temporary building when it was built 40 years ago,” said

Rolf Jaeger, chairman of the tennis committee.

The temporary building has lasted longer than expected, but Jaeger

has plans to change that.

Jaeger has a plan to tear down the current clubhouse and construct

a $1 million, 5,000-square-foot facility, complete with locker rooms,

bar and workout equipment. There is also the possibility of adding a

day care center.

“[The tennis clubhouse] has changing rooms but not locker rooms,”

Jaeger said. “I also want a terrace upstairs with a deck overlooking

the courts. I can visualize it. It’s a vision for the future.”

The proposed way of paying for the new clubhouse will be from a

“Limited Tennis Equity Membership.”

The plan is simple. Get 40 people to pay $25,000 each. Those 40

then receive a 25-year membership. That is less expensive than buying

a membership year-to-year with a projected yearly dues increase of

6%. The yearly dues project to $2,112 by the fifth year, $3,816 by

year 15, $5,100 by the 20th year, and $6,742 by year 25.

“This is such a win-win situation,” Jaeger said. “The members save

money and get a brand new clubhouse.”

Members had to vote to approve the court resurfacing and also had

to vote to see if a new tennis clubhouse was even desirable. Jaeger

said the August vote was two-to-one in favor of the plan.

Nothing can even start without the funding, though. Both Jaeger

and Mesa Verde President Tom McGreevy agree that the earliest

construction would begin would be at the beginning of 2005.

“Nothing is finalized yet,” McGreevy said. “By the end of October

we hope to have the 40 people, which means we’ll have all the money

by November. It won’t be until the first part of the year until we

can do anything.”