Marilynn Nabholz has a prediction: Tennis is set to take off in Conway.
The Conway City Council earlier this month approved a bid of $2.5 million to build an eight-court tennis facility at Laurel Park on Prince Street, south of the high school campus.
Nabholz is chairwoman of the Conway Area Tennis Association’s facility project. The group has been lobbying for more than 1 1/2 years to get new courts.
“I am so happy,” Nabholz said. “It’s going to be a really great outdoor facility. It’s crazy good.”
The lead architect on the project is Emily Ferris of Rik Sowell Architects in Conway. The project is being paid for with Advertising and Promotion funds, said Steve Ibbotson, director of Conway Parks and Recreation.
In addition to tennis courts, the project includes three structures: a pro shop, which will have an entry lobby, reception counter, office, storage room and bathrooms; and two viewing/meeting buildings.
“There will be chairs in there, and it will be air-conditioned,” she said of the viewing areas. “There will be so much glass, you can see [the players], and they can see you,” she said.
Nabholz said the viewing areas will be perfect for many uses.
“Grandma and Grandpa to watch their grandchildren play, or parents can watch their children, or kids can do homework while their parents are playing,” she said.
Tennis teams can gather in the rooms before tournaments, a whole new aspect of tennis in Conway. Because of the dilapidated courts in the city, Conway has not been able to host tennis tournaments, she said, adding that players will be able to reserve the new courts at Laurel Park.
The city has eight public courts — four now at Laurel Park, two at Gatling Park on Tyler Street and two at Fifth Avenue Park — none of which is in good shape, Ibbotson said.
Nabholz, who has played tennis for about 12 years, said in a previous interview that people in North Little Rock and Little Rock “are just shocked” that Conway doesn’t have teams playing in Conway.
Conway Mayor Bart Castleberry said the new tennis facility “will actually bring revenue into Conway.”
“It’s a game people can play their entire lives, so it will be used,” he said.
The tennis teams at both Conway High School and the University of Central Arkansas have been discussed as potential users of the courts.
Hendrix College tennis coach Harold Henderson, a member of the Conway Tennis Association, said the members are “just very, very thrilled about it and very grateful, too. We’ve kind of wanted something like this for years; we knew Conway needed it, but there were other priorities.”
Henderson said he talked to a Conway City Council member 15 years ago about the need for additional courts.
City Council member David Grimes said Laurel Park is a natural fit for the facility because of the ease of expanding four courts to eight, as well as the park’s proximity to Conway High School.
“They already play there and practice there, so it will just enhance their opportunities,” Grimes said.
Ibbotson said another change will be the secure access of the facility, which means paying to play.
“You’ll come up there, and there’s a small fee for the use of the court, like we do here for racquetball courts,” he said, referring to the Conway Sports Center. The fee is $2 to play racquetball.
A fee for Laurel Park’s tennis courts has not yet been recommended to the Conway City Council, he said. “It’ll be based on the going rate around the area,” Ibbotson said.
He said it’s an effort to “protect the investment” in the facility.
“Our present courts, we have all sorts of issues with people trying to skateboard on them, bicycles in there jumping over nets, needless to say a lot of stuff going on that’s not supposed to be going on,” he said. “They can go to some of the other courts in the city and play and not have to pay a fee.”
A staff member will be on-site during the hours of operation, which have not been set, Ibbotson said.
Corco Construction of Little Rock should start work on the project “hopefully, next week,” Ibbotson said.
“They gave us a timeline of about seven months,” he said.
Ibbotson said the bid for the project is more than was originally projected.
“We were looking at up to $2.2 million,” Ibbotson said. However, a soil study showed a need for an increase in the dirt work. “We felt that might be the case. We knew we were already having problems with our existing courts with the subsurface.”
Another major impact of the new facility, Nabholz said, is that it will allow the city to organize tennis programs.
“The city will hire someone to coordinate program plans for juniors, for adults — really for all ages,” she said. “They’ll hire someone who will start leagues, do tournaments, do lessons.”
Nabholz said the tennis committee had lots of help getting the project approved. She said the committee received support from former Conway Mayor Tab Townsell, Castleberry and, particularly, Ibbotson.
“And all the tennis supporters who worked to make it happen — and there were a lot of them,” she said. “I’m so thankful to live in such a collaborative community.”
The association first pitched the idea of a $6 million tennis facility with six courts and a two-story building, but the proposal was deemed too expensive, and some people objected to the size of the facility on the park property.
“The green space is more valuable to the city at that location,” Ibbotson said.
Nabholz emphasized that she’s grateful, but she’s still looking toward the future.
“We’re going to count on the success of this facility toward the future of an indoor facility and more outdoor courts,” Nabholz said. “This is just the beginning, because tennis is going to take off in Conway.”
Senior writer Tammy Keith can be reached at (501) 327-0370 or tkeith@arkansasonline.com.