The Bill Moore Tennis Center was open for business this week for the first time since the Olympics. For the previous eighteen months, the Center has been available for unsupervised public use. Because of a new policy that was recently implemented, all members of the Tennis Center will be expected to pay for use of the facility.
According to the new plan, everyone in the Georgia Tech Community is considered to be an automatic member of the Tennis Center. Thus, they will be expected to pay six dollars an hour for use of the outdoor courts. Previously, members of the Georgia Tech Community used the outdoor courts for free.
Michael Gustafson is the new director of the Tennis Center. "The new expense doesn't add much to those people who have to buy memberships. Instead, it puts a cost on the student," Gustafson said.
Gustafson says that the Tennis Center must raise income in order to deal with costs such as resurfacing and lighting.
"For example, when you have the courts out there and they have to be resurfaced every three to five years, you're looking at least $60,000 a pop, at least," commented Gustafson.
With the removal of the Woodruff tennis courts to make way for the Curran Street parking deck, the changes leave the courts on top of Peter's parking deck as the only free tennis courts on campus.
The new rates concern William Jin, President of the Georgia Tech Tennis Club.
"I think six dollars an hour is kind of high for students" Jin commented. "If you go to Emory, you can play for free. If you go to UGA you can play for free," he explained.
Unlike student recreation facilities such as SAC, no student fees go to the Tennis Center. All of the Tennis Center's funding comes directly from the Athletic Association.
"I can see both sides of it," Gustafson said. "If students thought about it, they would realize that it is really in the long run helping them out because it is providing them with a place to play."
"I just want to try to offer the nicest place possible for people to come and enjoy themselves and play here," Gustafson commented.
Students interested in the Georgia Tech Tennis Club can contact William Jin at 206-4073.
