Atlanta firm to design indoor courts
♦ The same firm did work at UGA’s tennis complex.
Menefee Architecture of Atlanta has been chosen to design the new indoor tennis facility for the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College.
Rome City Manager Sammy Rich said that Menefee has been involved in a number of tennis related projects and was also involved in some of the civil engineering associated with the development of the Rome Tennis Center a couple of years ago.
“Our little tennis committee, we were unanimous when we did our scoring process, so I think it was good sign that they came out the clear-cut favorite,” Rich said.
Menefee was the firm responsible for upgrades at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex at the University of Georgia which has frequently hosted major NCAA tournament, including national collegiate championships.
When Menefee got the $7.5 million UGA project it included construction of a dozen new outdoor courts and four indoor courts, seating for approximately 5,000 and new clubhouses for both men and women. The Magill complex at UGA actually hosted the NCAA championships in 2017 after the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament was played in Rome.
The driving force behind the construction of the six indoor courts has been the desire to be a competitive bidder for major national events which more often than not stipulate that indoor courts be available in the event of bad weather.
Rome Tennis Center Director Tom Daglis said that Menefee has already come up with several options for the design of the new indoor complex.
Rome was chosen to host the 2020 and 2021 ACC championships and will need to have the indoor complex completed in time for the first of those tournaments in April of 2020. Rich said the timeline for the complex is being driven by the need to be completed in time for the 2020 ACC event.
Rich said that in all likelihood, the six-court indoor complex will involve a structure that would include a number of existing courts coupled with new courts.
“They’re trying to figure out what is the best spot to do that,” Rich said. “That is another thing that set Menefee apart, the amount of time they spent here on site doing sue diligence and research. You can tell they really wanted the job.”
Daglis said Menefee seems to have a pretty good handle on the various options that may be available to combine existing courts with new courts to make the indoor facility work.