Last August you received a letter about proposed improvements to the Shafor Park tennis courts adjacent to the Oakwood Community Center. The plans presented during the neighborhood meeting held on August 30 included a proposal to reduce the number of courts from 6 to 4 and to use the remaining space to add off-street parking spaces for users of the tennis courts, swimming pool and OCC. Besides the tennis court plans, there was also a discussion about the possibility of a long term lease with the University of Dayton (UD) for use of the Old River tennis courts. The purpose of this letter is to share with you the following updates and revised site plan.
Both individually and collectively, the Oakwood Schools and the city of Oakwood pursued entering into a long-term lease with UD for use of the tennis courts at Old River. As part of those discussions UD required the users be responsible for current and future maintenance expenses. It was estimated that an expenditure of at least $200,000 was needed in order to bring the courts up to competitive standards. The significant cost of the court improvements necessitated a long-term lease agreement which the parties were unable to agree upon so, absent a viable alternative, the Shafor Park tennis courts will be the home of Oakwood High School tennis for the foreseeable future. As a shared facility, both the city and the school district will contribute to the replacement of the existing courts and future maintenance. The majority of funding for the pending reconstruction project will be provided by the city.
With the availability of the Old River tennis courts no longer an option, the site plan has been modified to include a fifth court. The feedback we received at the August 30 meeting downplayed the need for regulation-sized courts to host competitive matches so the courts have been adjusted to reduce the hitting area behind the back line. Not only does this change result in a uniform back line hitting area of 17.5 feet for improved spectator viewing, it also makes it possible to maintain 15 of the existing 20 parking spaces along Collingwood.
As described during the meeting on August 30, on-street parking, especially during the summer months when Gardner Pool is open, is an issue neighborhood residents have had to contend with for many years. With added space being available from the elimination of one tennis court, the site plan includes 25 public parking spaces along E. Schantz. The parking enhancement also includes re-working the parking area parallel to E. Schantz currently used by OCC employees and community center vendors. The area between the edge of the off-street parking and the street will be nicely landscaped with coniferous trees and shrubs for screening purposes.