Fayetteville business asks to lease courts

ROGERS — The city will evaluate its policy for renting public park spaces following a unique request.

Fayetteville Athletic Club directors and tennis coach professionals Drew Sosebee and Tyler Tarnasky recently submitted a proposal to the Rogers Parks and Recreation Department to use two tennis courts at Northwest Park for the Apex Tennis group and private lessons. Apex Tennis is a business with nonprofit status, but its financial operations go through the Fayetteville Athletic Club.

The proposal offered a $500 monthly fee to the department in exchange for use of the courts from noon to 9 p.m. on weekdays from April to April 2018.

“We provide junior tennis programming for all ages and ability levels,” Tarnasky said in the proposal. “We currently have numerous clients based out of Rogers, but we will open the door to quality programming for any child in the Rogers area that’s interested in playing tennis.”

The request went to the Rogers Parks and Recreation Commission for initial thoughts and will be reviewed next by senior staff attorney Jennifer Waymack and Mayor Greg Hines’ office. The commission did not take any action on the proposal.

“These guys are former Razorbacks with junior tennis programming, they have clients who live up here. It wouldn’t just become FAC North,” said Jim White, parks director. “If they rent these courts out, they’d only rent out half at a time because we always said we’d leave half the courts open for the public.”

Apex Tennis serves between 75 and 100 members, with about 20 clients in Rogers, said Sosebee. The group made use of indoor facilities at another Rogers location to serve clients in the city, but was in search of outdoor courts to make tennis instruction more accessible to the public and give a more authentic tennis experience.

“Tennis is an outdoor sport, and having coaches out there makes [instruction] accessible,” Sosebee said. “People see you and get an interest in taking lessons. It gives us more exposure to people interested in tennis and it makes financial sense for both parties.”

Northwest Park, the oldest ballfield complex in town, has four tennis courts. Northwest Park opened in 1970. The Rogers School District sometimes uses the park’s tennis courts.

White said the request was “uncharted territory,” and if the city enters the agreement it wouldn’t advertise for the tennis program or participate in signing people up.

Commissioner Betty Evans questioned whether any legal issue would arise from the agreement because it deals with only one business and not as an open invitation to other similar establishments. Waymack said that shouldn’t be an issue and the city would consider the special request.

The arrangement seems relatively low-risk, White said.

“It doesn’t cost us anything unless they have the lights on,” White said. “They have equipment and won’t expect us to clean courts every day, so I don’t think it looks too dangerous.”

Commissioner Greg Lindley said the proposal addressed his only concern that some tennis courts be left open for the public.

Commissioner Keith Westmoreland questioned whether the tennis courts were in decent shape for the proposed use. Evans said that one court was lacking, but the others seemed fine. White confirmed that a couple of tennis courts were recently remodeled for $10,000 each.

Commissioner Miguel Purdy questioned whether increased use contributed to the courts’ surface wear, or if weather was the larger culprit. Parks staff said weather was by far the greater contributor. Before offering his support, Purdy suggested including a requirement of 30 days’ notice if either party wants out of the agreement.