SAN FRANCISCO – Lifetime Activities, a company that runs municipal tennis centers in five Bay Area cities, has been chosen to operate the Golden Gate Park Tennis Center when it opens next year.
San Francisco Recreation and Park commissioners voted unanimously today to authorize the 26-year-old company to enter into an agreement with the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department to offer tennis programs for up to eight years at the center, which is currently under construction.
Lifetime Activities runs municipal tennis centers in Cupertino, Pleasanton, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale and Walnut Creek. It was chosen by a selection committee comprised of experts in public projects, urban recreation, tennis programming and finance.
“The new Golden Gate Park Tennis Center will be one of the best public tennis facilities in the nation, and we are pleased that its day-to-day operations will be managed by an operator with a proven track record of excellence,” said San Francisco Recreation and Park Department General Manager Phil Ginsburg.
SF Rec and Parks, the San Francisco Parks Alliance and the Tennis Coalition of San Francisco broke ground on the Tennis Center renovation in April. When complete, the center will offer 17 new USTA-regulation tennis courts, a sunken court feature and a dedicated pickleball court. New court lights will provide increased playtime for the public while the new clubhouse and classroom will allow SF Rec and Parks to expand the Tennis Learning Center (TLC) its tennis and tutoring program for youth from underserved neighborhoods. The $27 million project is funded almost entirely from private donations.
“ It’s a true honor to be selected as the operator for the Golden Gate Park Tennis Center. We look forward to serving the community in a manner that preserves the iconic tennis legacy of the past, while facilitating new programs, services and memories for present and future generations,” said Lifetime Activities CEO Dana Gill. “I truly believe that the newly renovated GGPTC, the TLC, and the throngs of tennis enthusiasts will serve as the national model of public facility excellence for years to come.”
Terms of the proposed agreement between SF Rec and Parks and Lifetime Activities can be found here. More information can be found in a staff report here.