As most of you are aware, the Boulder Parks and Recreation (BPR) Department has been going through a two-years-in-the-making update of their Master Plan. This update will tweak the priorities and the allocation of funding for the next five years or more. So it obviously affects public tennis courts and facilities. And as you can see from the image of Tom Watson courts above, Boulder public courts could use some help.
We in the tennis community have put in the hard yards making our voices heard throughout this process. And here’s one more chance to basically whisper “tennis, tennis, tennis” in the ear of the powers that be.
So we’re asking you – again – to sound off either on their website survey, or attend a virtual public meeting. As for what to say, that’s up to you. But our talking points remain: the need for better maintenance of public tennis facilities, the building of more public courts (not a new court in twenty years!), and ideally the creation of a Boulder Tennis Center with indoor and outdoor courts and lighting for night play.
As for the survey, it’s a hot mess. Please do not go in expecting plain English (or plain Spanish) questions addressing recognizeable issues. Rather, expect dense bureau-speak broken out into categories that seem to have nothing to do with the issues at hand.
For instance, to pick a question at random…
I know, right? “Just let me at those goals! I’m sure there’s a way to respond that will get us some new courts!”
Fortunately, under each question/category there is an area for your own comments. This is where we can make things happen. We suggest you click on whatever you think appropriate in the preformatted choices (and don’t spend too much time on it) – and then when you get to the comments part, talk about what you’d like to see done for tennis. Mention tennis early and often. Just our advice.
You can access the survey at…
https://www.beheardboulder.org/bprmasterplan/survey_tools/bprmasterplanpriorities
There is also a virtual public meeting being held Thursday, Feb. 3, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., which might be the better way to assure you’re being heard. They will be listing a link to the meeting on their webpage on the day…
https://bouldercolorado.gov/projects/parks-and-recreation-master-plan-update
Either way, we’re approaching the finish line with this update. Let’s see if we can find a way to nudge the aircraft carrier that is Boulder Parks and Rec. in the direction of taking care of some long-ignored tennis priorities. Thanks!
The BTA Board
