After more than five months of discussions with a disgruntled group of Las Positas tennis players, the Elings Park Foundation announced this week that its previously proposed fees have been reduced by 25-39 percent, and that the hourly use fee has been reduced to $8 per day. The small but vocal group of players had taken issue with the park’s proposed fee hikes — stating staff wages should be reduced and retirement benefits eliminated instead — and say they plan to continue protesting.
Due to 2010 budget cuts, Foundation officials have countered, the city signed a lease with Elings to manage and restore the Las Positas courts, and Elings took on a $1.1 million liability from the city to renovate the facility and keep it open to the public. Since the park is a nonprofit and not supported by tax dollars, officials explained, it operates solely on user fees, programs, and donations. More information on the tennis fees can be found here.