Tennis

==Decay of courts.==
The Citiparks budget has been cut into nothingness. But before, when there were funds, the necessary upkeep was never given to stewardship to upkeep what was already there. Everything in the parks system has been in a serious state of decay under the current administration.
Our tennis courts, basketball courts, deck-hockey courts and other playing surfaces need to be given some attention on a seasonal basis. Then the surfaces last longer and are safer. Effective maintance is less expensive than the cost to do a total re make.
== Tennis coach was removed.==
Citiparks had a great coach for its tennis coach. He was released or removed from his office. If you have courts but no coach, the decline is a guarantee. 
The cost for coaching is much less than the cost for monitors, police, and jails. Breaking up a gang war or drug network is hard work. Planting the seeds to get the kids healthy, on teams, playing tennis and such is part of the challenge that I aspire to as an elected official.
== Lifelong sport==
Tennis is a lifelong, international, intergenerational opportunity. Parents play tennis with their children. Tennis is like swimming and badminton in these regards. 
I'd much rather invest a little money into tennis and swimming and not a nickle into skateparks. 
== Tennis bubble is a good example of how the city fumbled the vision.==
Pittsburgh's east end has a tennis bubble, owned by the city, in a park. The saga with the bubble is full of weirdness, as is everything else in the city's operational framework.
The tennis bubble in Mellon Park was put into place because there was a demand for indoor tennis space by the citizens. This demand was due to the closing of another indoor tennis facility that was owned and operated by a private operator. PAT (Port Authority Transit) took over the indoor facility for a park and ride and expansion of the east busway. So the facility closed. But, PAT never did the expansion. So then, the facility re-opened. 
The bubble was installed too late. It opened one spring. It went up and a snow fell and the bubble had to sit in mud and then be scrubbed by hand by workers on tall ladders and scaffolds after it was inflated. It was a major ordeal. 
The bubble stays up in the summers now, but it is too hot to use. It needs to be airconditioned.