Seal Beach council members and parks commissioners will hold a joint workshop on Monday, April 8, to discuss the city’s master plan for recreation facilities.
City staff have been working on the Parks and Recreation Master Plan for some months. The City Council approved hiring a consultant to design the master plan in November 2012.
Tim Kelsey, recreation manager for the Community Services Department, said it was likely that the Seal Beach Tennis Center and the pier would be discussed during the April 8 workshop.
Kelsey said the council on Monday, March 25, directed staff to open the Tennis Center up to more community outreach while continuing to provide a good tennis facility.
The goal of the March 25 workshop was to develop a future vision for the Tennis Center with a 2020 deadline for meeting the goals set out in the plan.
According to a presentation from Kelsey and Assistant City Manager Sean Crumby, the Tennis Center currently has 140 members. Forty-three of those members are Seal Beach residents.
Seal Beach acquired the center, which covers seven acres of land, in 2004. Since that time, the center has been operated by two private vendors. The latest vendor left in 2012.
According to Kelsey, the center is currently operated by the city of Seal Beach.
According to the workshop presentation, the Tennis Center’s buildings need rehabilitation.
The long-term goal for the center is to make more money.
Staff presented the council with three options. Ultimately, the City Council directed staff to pursue Option 2.
The options were:
Option 1: Make the SBTC a regional tennis center. That, according to Kelsey, is the way the Tennis Center is currently being run. According to the March 25, presentation, under this option, the goal would be to have residents make up 35 percent of the membership. This is the closest to making the center financially self-sustaining. The option would run all 16 tennis courts and would involve the lowest initial improvement costs.
Option 2: Make the Tennis Center a community space. The goal would be 50 percent resident members. Ten or 12 tennis courts would be used along with enhanced fitness facilities. According to the March 25 presentation, this option would involve moderate improvement and operation costs.
Option 2 was recommended by city staff and preferred by Mayor Gary Miller, who represents District Four. The Tennis Center is located in District Four.
Option 3: Make the center a community park with tennis courts. This option would aim for 75 percent residents and provide six to eight tennis courts with park amenities. This option would have the highest initial improvement costs in addition to operating costs similar to those of other Seal Beach Parks.
The Seal Beach Pier has also been the focus of city attention in recent months. The use of the pier by fishermen has become controversial, as fishermen have reportedly used wooden memorial benches to cut bait. A loan from the California Department of Fish and Game requires Seal Beach to allow fishing on the pier.
In related pier news, Community Development Director Jim Basham said that no one has yet submitted a plan for a restaurant to replace the Ruby’s Diner that once occupied city-owned space at the end of the pier. According to Basham, some vendors have expressed an interest in the space and have indicated they will submit a proposal to Seal Beach by the April 12 deadline.
