Volunteers form Lake County Tennis Association
- Lake County News reports
- Posted On
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A group of community volunteers have formed a nonprofit dedicated to fundraising for Kelseyville’s tennis courts and promoting tennis for players of all ages.
The Lake County Tennis Association was officially formed in May.
Its purpose is to provide a vehicle to conduct fundraising efforts designed to target maintenance and improvement costs, to carry out funding for future replacement of the old Gard Street courts with new ones, and to promote ongoing tennis opportunities among the young and old for the entire county.
The Gard Street tennis courts, located in Kelseyville at the corner of Second and Gard streets, have provided the community and high school students with a tennis sanctuary for generations.
The six tennis courts are located on the Kelseyville Unified School District property, providing a facility for the Kelseyville High School tennis team and tennis enjoyment to the general public.
Generations of community tennis players have enjoyed the use of the courts over the years and many have devoted their time, effort and money to keeping the courts maintained and usable as a viable tennis facility for all.
Kelseyville Unified Superintendent Dave McQueen recalls playing on these courts while attending high school.
The association said the mortality of these facilities is all too real when faced with the costs of maintaining and/or replacing tennis courts in small and rural communities. These tennis courts are the only viable courts remaining in the entire Lake County which are presently serving the students and community.
Three of the six courts have struggled with disrepair over the years due to ground movement and playing surface wear which have resulted in a constant battle against the effects of weather extremes in our area.
Two of the six courts are practice courts on the badly cracked original asphalt play surface which existed for the old Gard Street grammar school.
The sixth court was removed and remains as a weed patch serving as a reminder of the fate looming for the rest of the courts if people were to just stop caring.
This is why a handful of concerned community volunteers formed the Lake County Tennis Association.
The association will conduct fundraising efforts at local, state and national levels, including the US Tennis Association, for future maintenance monies and possible replacement of six new courts for the facility.
The group’s future dream features six brand new courts on site for all to enjoy tennis.
Completed repairs on three courts
An exhaustive, two-week repair process was completed on Sept. 27. It consisted of the complete removal, repair and replacement of the playing surface on the three courts facing Gard Street.
This project required more than 600 work hours by 25 volunteers from the local tennis community. It was carefully planned and executed by the association members, resulting in approximately $5,500 of material cost which was paid for by Kelseyville Unified.
The new court surfacing was installed over a heavy coating of a special bonding agent which will provide increased protection against future blistering caused by moisture and poor adhesion.
Association welcomes members
The Lake County Tennis Association is offering voluntary, annual memberships for $50 per individual or $100 per family. Students are free and so are families with a student participating on a tennis team.
All contributions can be provided with nonprofit, tax-exempt information. Support from a caring community will make a difference in the quest of the Lake County Tennis Association.
On Saturday, Oct. 12, at 4 p.m. at the Clear Lake Riviera Community Hall, 9689 Highway 281, Kelseyville, a meet and greet will be hosted by the Association for all members and future members who wish to attend.
Special thanks are extended to the following founding Lake County Tennis Association Board Members for their participation: Mike Shay, Richard Hernaez, Di Roger, Kim Shay, Iris Angeleri, Andy Dobusch, Ellen Karnowski, Jane McKnight and Connie Wright.
Memberships by community members will greatly assist the goals of the tennis association and can be obtained by contacting Mike Shay at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by phone at 310-486-8427.