Coach: I'll Pay for Tennis Courts

Tennis coach Jeff Sacks wants to keep the Valley Forge Elementary School tennis courts from being removed, and he's willing to put his money where his mouth is.

"To prevent demolition of the tennis courts, I will pay for any and all costs to maintain the courts at Valley Forge Elementary school," Sacks wrote in an email to Patch.

Sacks said he already extended his offer to the Tredyffrin Township Board of Supervisors and plans to repeat it to the Tredyffrin-Easttown School Board.

The offer comes in response to Tredyffrin-Easttown School District's plans to remove the courts to avoid maintenance costs and offset new parking spaces at the school. A demolition scheduled for March 23 was postponed hours beforehand in response to a community outcry. 

Sacks, a tennis coach at The Baldwin School in Bryn Mawr and Delaware Valley Friends School in Paoli, lives within walking distance of the courts and plays on them frequently. He ran an after-school tennis program on the courts from 1999-2004, which he said continued until 2011. 

He said the courts are necessary for people like him who don't belong to country clubs and can only use public courts. 

There is one condition attached to his offer, and one request. He'll take on the financial responsibility only if the district gives him discretion as to what maintenance is necessary.

He would also ask to rename the courts.

"I would want the courts to be named after my brother, who died over 40 years ago in a hit-and-run accident," he said.

In an interview, Sacks wouldn't put a dollar figure on how much he expected maintenance would cost, saying that the courts are in good shape now and need only new nets.

"The major cost is resurfacing, and these courts can probably be played on for another five years before they need resurfacing," Sacks said. "When that happens, if a crack appears in courts, it doesn't mean that the entire courts need to be resurfaced."

He said he's ready now to make a personal financial commitment to maintain the courts, but he hopes others in the community would share in the costs.

"There are so many residents interested in keeping the courts, that I would spearhead some funding to keep these courts going by neighbors and residents and local tennis players," Sacks said

The school board will hold a meeting on the tennis courts Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.

See also:

Tennis Court Maintenance: What's the Cost?

Tennis Court Demolition Postponed [Updated]

Tennis Courts to Be Razed Saturday at Local School