HARLINGEN — Work on the $500,000 HEB Tennis Center pro shop at Pendleton Park is progressing, with a water supply being hooked up this week, the Parks and Recreation Department board heard Tuesday.
The 2,160-square-foot pro shop, with a 1,540-square-foot patio, includes an office, training room, spectator area, and restrooms and showers.
It replaced an aging modular structure which lacked these amenities and had just one toilet.
“Right now what we have been working on is we’ve had some issues getting the water supply to the building,” Armando Villela, assistant parks director, told the board. “I have been working closely with Harlingen Water Works on installing the meters so that we can get the water through to the tennis center.”
“I received a call this morning from water works that they’re out there and they should be connecting the water irrigation units,” he added. “If they install that today, parks staff will connect the water to the building tomorrow.”
Due to the restroom limits of the previous pro shop, federal approval could not be granted to allow the center to host tournaments. That will change once the new pro shop is finished.
“We’ve already received most of the furniture that’s going to be going inside the building,” Villela said. “We purchased the TVs that are going to be going in there also. We have the desk for the tennis pro.”
Villela said the plan for the front of the building is not to put sod down but to cover the area with artificial turf.
“We’ve also purchased artificial turf that’s going to be covering the area so that will be done by parks staff or we’ll contract it out,” he said. “We purchased the material and we’re just waiting for that to come in.”
Parks Director Javier Mendez said the current tennis pro, Don VanRamshorst, will have broad authority over operations at the pro shop.
“He’ll be in charge of the maintenance,” Mendez told the board. “The only thing we’re going to be responsible for is, of course, utilities, but he’s going to be in charge of cleaning it and everything else.”
Parks and rec personnel did not indicate a firm date when work on the tennis pro shop would be finished but said they are pleased with the pace of recent progress.
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