Changes Recommended For Proposed Sea Camps Tennis Courts

BREWSTER – Some late-stage changes to the four tennis courts proposed for the Sea Camps bay property stalled a potential vote from the community preservation committee last week.

The CPC is considering a $650,000 request to install the new courts, but Town Engineer Griffin Ryder and Recreation Director Mike Gradone told the committee Aug. 12 that there have been requests for modifications to the project plans by local tennis players.

“It’s good feedback that we’re getting, it’s just coming at the 11th hour,” Gradone said.

Specifically, Ryder said, there have been requests for the installation of interior court fencing to help keep balls from getting too far behind players. That would be in addition to the 10-foot fencing already planned for the courts’ perimeter.

Ryder said members of the local tennis community pointed to the tennis courts at Stony Brook Elementary School as a model of what they would like to see at the Sea Camps. He said the interior fencing is also in accordance with guidelines set by the United State Tennis Association, to which the town has applied for reimbursable grant funding of up to $35,000 per court.

Other requests include sloped, chamfered edges on the courts as opposed to cornered edges and an increase in the width of each court by eight feet.

“I think in the grand scheme of things, it’s not going to change much from what you’ve seen,” Ryder said. “But there’s going to be little tweaks here and there that honestly I think will make for a better end product.”

The changes would add cost to the court project, but Ryder said plans to scale back proposed field improvements on the property hopefully will balance out the added expenses. A revised figure has yet to be forwarded to the committee.

In addition to the change requests from local tennis players, Ryder said the town also needs to address concerns raised about the project from the historical commission. Those include the proposed 10-foot high perimeter fencing, which the commission wants to see reduced to eight feet so that it is less visible from Route 6A and Millstone Road.

“I think the tennis community might have a problem with that, so we’re going to have to thread that needle,” Ryder said.

Gradone added that the new courts will also be used by youth tennis players, and that the higher fencing would be beneficial for those less experienced players.

“I know the eight-foot fence is part of the discussion, but I do think the 10 (foot fence) would be best for everybody,” he said.

The historical commission has jurisdiction on the courts project within 500 feet of Route 6A. Ryder said attempts to set the courts further back to get out of the 500 foot buffer would adversely impact other aspects of the Sea Camps project. 

Plans for the property also call for a renovated outdoor pavilion, a trail system and a nature center funded by Mass Audubon.

Ryder said a site visit is planned with members of the commission ahead of its Sept. 14 meeting, where further discussion on the tennis courts will be on the agenda. He said more details on the revised plans could be ready for the CPC in time for its Sept. 23 meeting.

"We'll be happy to report back as soon as we get more information,” he said.