Glorietta Tennis Center Opens

Before he took to one of the courts to lob the first ball over the net on Wednesday, Mayor Casey Tanaka said he was overwhelmed by how well the expanded turned out.

“I can’t think of a tennis center with this much inherent beauty,” he said.

Tanaka thanked a host of city employees and contractors for completing the $1.5 million project in 15 months. It was paid for with public money from the city’s redevelopment agency and general fund, and a donation from the .

The mayor singled out Recreation Director Linda Rahn and the Coronado Tennis Association for special praise. He called the association the “heart and soul of the project.” The organization's president, Jenny Portelli, also was pleased by the transformation.

“I’ve been around tennis for a long time and I’ve never seen anything as spectacular,” she said. “It’s amazing.”

The size of the center has more than doubled, to 2,322 square feet, and the courts were resurfaced. The center also features an indoor/outdoor lounge with glass doors, allowing a clear view for spectators, and a trellised patio with an outdoor barbecue. Groups can rent the patio from the city for events.

The center was constructed using sustainable building practices, earning it the Green Building Council’s LEED silver certification, Tanaka said. He credited Councilwoman Carrie Downey for the center’s environmental standards.

“She pushed for it from the beginning,” he said.

Other environment-friendly features include automatic lighting, a solar-reflective roof and landscaping pavers, equipment that stops debris-filled water from entering storm drains.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, nearly 100 attendees noshed on hot dogs, fruit and freshly baked cookies. There were a number of activities, including tennis demonstrations with tennis pros Sue Hites, Matt Hanlin and Phil Hopkins.