County conducts meeting concerning tennis center
Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks held a public meeting on Jan. 21 about the building project for the Millersville Tennis Center.
The new park will be across the road from the Millersville Elementary School, where the meeting took place. A large crowd of neighbors and tennis players attended the meeting.
With the advocacy of the Tennis Alliance and the enthusiasm of the county tennis community, the County Council approved $6.53 million last year in the capital budget to build the tennis center.
The full design with 16 outdoor and 8 indoor courts, parking and a clubhouse will occupy a 33-acre piece of agricultural land that the county obtained through project Green Space in 2008.
The project is in Phase 1 now with the design underway for the park itself, eight outdoor courts, a parking lot and infrastructure.
A request for proposal should be issued this spring for construction to start this fall and finish next spring.
Phase 2 will cover the indoor facility and the county plans to issue a request for proposal this year to find a commercial operator for the facility. Phase 3 will cover construction of the indoor facility and the rest of the outdoor courts.
During a lively question and answer session, the county engineers described the measures they are taking to meet county codes through Environmental Site Design, to improve access to the park on Millersville Road and to make the park compatible to the neighborhood.
USTA Leagues: Matt Modderno’s 4.0 team (7-2) won the USTA Mid-Atlantic 2019 Adult Tri-Level Sectional Championship in Virginia Beach on Jan. 17.
Anne Arundel won both matches against Frederick County by a total score of 5-1. Congratulations to Trevor Anderson, James Appel, Ryan Cinoman, Chris Jeong, Greg Leihy, Matthew Modderno and Juan Vallejo on their accomplishment.
County Camps: The annual Recreation and Parks Camp Fair will be at Severna Park High School on Feb. 8 from 10 a.m. until noon. Look for the Annapolis Area Tennis School table to learn about summer camps.
There will be camps for beginners and pee wees art Broadneck and South River High schools.
AACTA News: The club’s Chili Cook Off will be held at Bowie Sport Fit on March 14 (6 -7 p.m.) with round-robin tennis from 7-11 p.m.
Check the categories on the AACTA web site and plan your recipe accordingly. The AACTA Spring Kickoff Tournament will be at Annapolis High School from April 29 through May 3 with rain dates on May 4 and 5.
Spring Classes: In April, the Anne Arundel County Recreation and Parks Department will start tennis classes for children and adults around the area.
Registration will be open on the AACRP website on Feb. 12. Classes will be taught again by the Annapolis Area Tennis School (AATS), a successful non-profit organization in its 17th year.
In 2019, AATS served over 500 participants of all ages in classes, camps and play days from April to November.
AATS is a registered Community Tennis Association for the USTA. For more information about county tennis classes, visit the AATS web site at www.aatstennis.org.
Tournament News: Arnold resident Luke Garner teamed up with Alex Panyan from Lutherville and the duo advanced to the finals of the Boys’ 18 Doubles at the United States Tennis Association Middle-Atlantic Section Tournament, held in Annapolis on Jan. 12.
In the Girls’ 18 Doubles, Edgewater resident Vanessa Mellynchuk and Isabelle Chang of Leesburg, Virginia advanced to the quarterfinals.
■ Olivia Mellynchuk (Edgewater) advanced to the consolation semifinals of the Girls’ 14 Doubles at the USTA/MAS Closed G14 L3 700 Doubles in Rockville on Jan. 12.
■ Luke Garner (Annapolis) won the consolation semifinals of the Boys’ 18 Singles at the USTA/MAS Closed B18 L3 Super Six 700 Championship in Fredericksburg, VA on Jan. 18.
■ Vanessa Mellynchuk (Edgewater) advanced to the quarterfinals of the Girls’ 18 Singles at the USTA/MAS Closed G18 L3 Super Six 700 Championship in Williamsburg, VA on Jan. 18