Glen Ellyn tennis warming hut gets funding

Construction of a 1,200-square-foot platform tennis warming hut in Glen Ellyn will restart now that additional donations have been secured to fund the project.

The Glen Ellyn Park District board voted in May to put the project on hold until further funds were secured, and last month officials announced that only $6,500 remained until work could begin again.

Since then, members of the Glen Ellyn Platform Tennis Club secured the remaining dollars, and on Tuesday, the board voted 4-1 to lift the suspension of work.

The hut structure will be constructed near four platform tennis courts at Maryknoll Park, located at Pershing Avenue and Route 53.

Last fall, the park district and platform tennis club agreed to a funding plan for the hut and two new courts, which have since been completed. The park district committed to paying $200,000, and the club put up $153,650.

Under an amendment to the original agreement approved by the board on Tuesday, the club has committed an additional $36,500 for the project, plus a $14,678 contingency.

Members of the club said after the meeting they were able to secure additional donations from various corporate and private donors, but all along they were confident the project would come to fruition.

“We were always hopeful,” said Scott Park, the club’s treasurer.

When the original agreement with the club was struck last year, the board voted 4-3 to approve it, with current board President Melissa Creech, current board vice president Jay Kinzler and Commissioner Julia Nephew opposed. They argued it would be committing funds from a future board’s budget.

And after April’s election of three like-minded commissioners on fiscal issues, the new board voted 6-1 to renegotiate the contract. But even some of those opposed said they wanted to see the project through — so long as the club came up with additional funds.

Officials said the remaining construction work is expected to take six to eight weeks, and the building should be ready in time for platform tennis season, which begins in the fall.