Paul Pautsch was in his element Thursday.
In the morning, Pautsch worked with more than 30 children ages 7 to 10 to ready them for their first tennis tournament today. Pautsch followed that by hosting a “Jimmy Buffett Night” tennis social that drew 68 people to the renovated Kingsdale Tennis Center in Bella Vista.
Pautsch, a village tennis pro, expects tennis to grow locally with the Kingsdale renovation and the new Memorial Park Tennis Center in Bentonville. Kingsdale has eight courts; there are 12 at Memorial Park.
“We are seeing more and more people,” Pautsch said. “I think people want to see what this POA facility has to offer.”
The renovated building is approximately 1,550 square feet. The previous building, more than 40 years old, had approximately 950 square feet, according to a news release from the Bella Vista Property Owners Association.
The facility has a kitchenette for social events hosted by the Bella Vista Tennis Association and a storage area to free the building of clutter. There also is an observation deck overlooking the tennis courts, where groups can gather to watch games, and a patio underneath, according to the release.
At A Glance
Open House
A ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for Bella Vista Village’s Kingsdale Tennis Center will be from 4 to 6 p.m. July 28.
Members will have the opportunity to tour the Property Owners Association’s new facility at 4 Riordan Drive. The open house will be a drop-in event with tennis activities, prizes, snacks and refreshments, according to a Property Owners Association news release.
Bella Vista tennis professional Paul Pautsch said the event will be like a “tennis carnival,” with courts dedicated to serving, forehand, backhand, volley shots and lob drills.
Drill scores will be tallied to determine the prizes awarded. Top prizes include a tennis racquet, valued at $300, a 2012 tennis pass and private lessons with Pautsch, according to the release.
Visitors also will be able to view photos of the facility’s transformation.
Source: Bella Vista Property Owners Association
The project was originally approved in March 2010. The Property Owners Association board approved additional funding in November of that year, when the low bid came in at approximately twice the original estimate because of additions to the project. The association saved some money by performing the project’s site work in house. The total project is estimated to cost $405,000, wrote Christy Attlesey, communications manager for the Property Owners Association, in an email.
The new center got its first extensive use during last month’s Cancer Challenge. Pautsch said minor details like landscaping and some concrete work still need to be finished. Workers poured cement outside the center in a brutal heat Thursday.
“This is going to be a real trademark for Bella Vista,” Pautsch said. “Club tennis is where it is at. If we do a good job at the club level, the sport will continue to grow.”
The 12 tennis courts at Memorial Park in Bentonville see almost constant use when the weather is nice. On most summer nights all the courts are taken.
When Parks and Recreation Director David Wright and Mayor Bob McCaslin started discussing a new tennis center, the goal was to build eight courts. The plan was expanded to 12 courts when bids came in lower than expected. Work was completed in December of last year.
“I think we underestimated the immediate need,” Wright said. “When you see all 12 courts being used, that backs up what we did.
“We’ve had tournaments and the Arkansas Tennis Association has been here. People say this was what a public tennis facility should be like.”
The center, at a cost of more than $1 million, was paid for from a $15 million bond Bentonville voters approved in 2007 to improve and expand city park facilities.
The center also is the home for the Bentonville High School boys and girls tennis teams. That came as part of an agreement when the school district deeded some land parcels to the city for trails and other uses some years ago. The high school teams had played home matches in Bella Vista.
The center includes shaded pavilions, restroom facilities and a parking lot, according to the city website.
“I drive out to Memorial Park between 5 and dark sometimes and I’m amazed by the number of people using the courts,” McCaslin said. “I think it has proved to be a good investment.”
The space where the old Memorial Park tennis courts were located is being turned into a lighted basketball facility. There will be four full courts. The project is expected to be completed in about 90 days, Wright said.