County plans to trade in tennis complex for hospital parking

PEMBROKE PINES — There’s a lot of back and forth about the popularity of the tennis program at C.B. Smith park.

Those who run the program say it is thriving as it hosts recreational players, leagues and daily lessons. But county officials say the facility has gone out of favor since it was built 40 years ago, and they plan to demolish most of it in favor of a parking structure for Memorial Healthcare.

The site includes 10 courts, a small pro shop and a snack bar. Only four courts will be spared, but the county will not renew its contract with Greensquare Tennis Academies that ends in August.

“The public parks are for recreation, and now they want to get rid of something that serves that purpose in favor of a parking lot ... That really doesn’t make much sense,” said Robert Mackey, a longtime instructor.

The county says Memorial Healthcare plans to build an outdoor “Fitness Zone” at the park and needs the area occupied by the tennis facility for parking.

The fitness area would be open to the public, and the parking would benefit people who use the remaining four tennis courts and the nearby Paradise Cove water park, said Dan West, the director of the Broward Parks and Recreation Division.

West said reservations at the tennis facility have declined from 1,431 reservations in the 2014-15 fiscal year to 1,016 in the last fiscal year. He added all the courts need resurfacing and energy-efficient lighting, and the pro shop and restrooms are structurally in poor condition.

“We’re just not seeing the demand there once was, there are lots of other public tennis facilities in the area,” West said.

He said Brian Piccolo Sports Park in Cooper City has a dozen clay courts, and there are eight