MACON, Ga. -- Visit Macon says tennis tournaments brought in millions of dollars for the county just last year. But it turns out, Macon-Bibb could lose the tournaments and the money.
Tennis professional Jaime Kaplan says the conditions of the tennis courts at Tattnall Tennis Center and John Drew Smith Tennis Center are not good.
She says it's starting to affect the community.
"We've already lost a tournament that had 600 players in it that was here since I was a little girl," she said.
Kaplan was hired as an outside consultant for the county to see exactly what needs to be fixed. She recommends fixing the courts and hiring a professional tennis director.
She adds that if these changes aren't implemented soon, Macon-Bibb may lose bids to host more tennis tournaments.
Visit Macon says just last year, tennis tournaments were responsible for thousands of hotel and motel reservations. Their study also says, combined with other spending, these tournaments brought in $3.2 million in economic impact.
But some county officials say they don't want the courts to fall to the wayside.
"We need to use that in a way that benefits the community financially," Commissioner Virgil Watkins said. "And we can do so with this tennis pro and a program in place."
But Watkins says the condition of these courts represents an even bigger problem.
"This is a systematical problem that we have as not maintaining these for your youth," he said. "And as we work on this, I would like to work on the entire recreational."
Kaplan says if the county can come up with $60,000, the U.S. Tennis Association has a grant that will match up to that amount.
She says tennis courts need to be re-surfaced every 5-7 years. They generally last 20 years before needing reconstruction.
https://wgxa.tv/news/local/neglected-macon-tennis-courts-may-lead-to-loss-of-hosting-tournaments
