Believe it

or not, the Peachtree City Tennis Center suffers from a serious image

problem.

Although it

is open to the public, most citizens believe it's a private tennis club

because it looks too nice, says Virgil Christian, executive director of

the Peachtree City Development Authority, which operates the center. And

its location, at the entrance of the Planterra Ridge subdivision, has

helped create the misconception that the center is an amenity for Planterra

residents only, Christian added.

But for as

little as $3-4 an hour, any local resident can play on the center's hard

or clay courts on weekdays, though the rate rises to $3.50 and $5 on the

weekends.

When Christian

tells citizens the facility is public, he usually gets comments along

the lines of "I can't believe it It looks too nice!"

Since opening

in 1995, the facility has received state and national accolades. It was

named the top tennis facility in the nation in 1997 and the top facility

in the state in 1999.

In addition

to offering hourly rates, the center also offers a variety of annual memberships

for active tennis players, which basically allows for them to pay their

court fees in advance, Christian said. That also helps the center have

a reliable income from which to compile its budget each year, he added.

"That

way, we can deliver the best quality and service to the residents of Peachtree

City," Christian said.

Annual memberships

at the center are $200 for juniors, $300 for seniors, $500 for individuals

and $750 for entire families. Currently, the club has 650 active memberships,

and that has helped attract some of the top tennis professionals in the

country, Christian said.

"You have

to have a stream of revenue to make decisions on personnel and maintenance,

Christian explained.

Christian noted

that the tennis center's other main source of revenues is from the city's

hotel-motel tax. To that end, he supports the efforts of the local hospitality

industry, particularly by using the tennis center to attract tourists

to stay over the weekend, when local hotels generally experience a slowdown.

"We want

to bring in big events that help them," Christian said. "I took

to them as a major partner in what we're doing."

To make sure

citizens understand the center is open to the public, Christian has spoken

to civic clubs and other organizations. And he mentions that fact to every

reporter who inquires about the center.

But most of

all, Christian wants to make sure the public gets its money's worth out

of the facility.

"Just

give us a shot and come out for an hour," he said.

Back

to News Home Page | Back

to the top of the page