Petaluma tennis community welcomes Lucchesi court improvements

To call the work being done on the tennis courts at Lucchesi Park “repair and resurfacing” would be a large understatement. It is more like a remodel from the ground up. “It was a total rehabilitation and reconstruction,” said Petaluma Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Drew Halter.

The project, long awaited by Petaluma tennis enthusiasts, isn’t quite finished. The final surface level still has to be placed and the courts striped. Halter said the courts should be ready for play by mid-July.

“The Petaluma Tennis Association is very excited about the refurbished city tennis courts. The city is repairing the courts not only at Lucchesi Park, but also at McNear and Del Oro Parks. Those, along with the existing courts at Leghorns Park, will give us 10 very useable public courts,” said Lynn King, president of the Petaluma Tennis Association in an email.

The courts themselves are only a part of the project. There will also be new LED lighting, new fencing, new benches and more.

The adjacent handball courts have also been renovated.

One of the park’s courts has been converted into four pickleball courts. “Pickleball is here to stay,” said Halter. “We need to have a place for people to play.”

While city crews wait for the materials to finish the Lucchesi courts, they have shifted work to Del Oro Park, a small neighborhood park near Casa Grande High School that has one tennis court.

The city is also planning to refurbish the courts at McNear Park once the Lucchesi project is completed.

The $440,000 Lucchesi Park project was funded by money from the Sonoma County bond Measure M.

“The funds have allowed us to provide recreation amenities at a time that people really need them,” said Halter.

Halter acknowledged that the project might have been finished earlier had it not been for the pandemic.

“It was a matter of bandwidth” he said. “With the pandemic our engineers and staff had to shift their focus.”

The project was headed by Jonthan Sanglerat from the city’s public utilities and capital improvements department. “He has done a great job directing the project,” said Halter.

King said the need is great for more courts.

“There has been a real uptick in the number of people who are interested in playing tennis in Petaluma, and with the closure of the only tennis club in town a few years ago, courts had become increasingly crowded. For a city of almost 60,000 people, there was a real shortage of playable courts.

“Additionally, since tennis was one of the few sports that could be played during the pandemic, lots of people are dusting off their old rackets and getting out to play. Lots of kids and young adults are starting to play for the first time.”

“This is exciting,” agreed Chris Horne, a Petaluma Tennis Association board member and general manager of the Marin Tennis Club. “It opens so many doors of opportunity.”

The Petaluma Tennis Association has recently signed an agreement with the Petaluma City Schools District for the continued use of the courts at both Petaluma and Casa Grande high schools.

King said she hopes the PTA can work with the school district to refurbish those courts.

“Those courts could also use some significant repair, and high school is where many of our players get started,” she explained. “Tennis is a lifelong game, one where you can start young and play into your 70s or beyond, and you don't need lots of equipment, or lots of people, to play, so long as you have a court.” She said.