Charlestown Against Drugs Takes Over Tennis Center

There’s no longer a threat of the Stillman Tennis Center getting shut down. Charlestown Against Drugs (CHAD) has settled the city’s concerns about funding for center by taking over management of the Medford Street facility. It’s now known as the CHAD Tennis Club and Nigel Griffith is directing the program for the community.

The center’s hours have been expanded since CHAD took over the Stillman Tennis Center in December. Programming for children and adults has grown, too. But the club has raised membership rates to help cover costs.

The city still pays utilities and the cost of putting up and taking down the bubble that covers the three lighted outdoor tennis courts during the winter. But to maintain the center otherwise, the tennis club had to raise individual adult membership rates from $100 to $200, which has caused membership to drop.

When the city managed the tennis center – under the auspices of Boston Centers for Families and Children -- memberships totaled between 200 and 250, said Griffith. Now the center has about 130 members. Griffith said he expected membership to rise after residents adjusted to the new rates and compared the center’s resources to those of other tennis centers nearby.

The center provides a limited number of partial and full scholarships for children who cannot afford the annual membership rates, which run $25 for Boston residents. It charges non-city residents higher rates to reduce rates for city residents. However, Treasurer and Coach Tom Desmond said that the center caps the number of out-of-city memberships to 20 percent of total memberships to avoid crowding out locals.

Tennis Club hours, programming

The center offers beginner to advanced programs for children and adults with rates that vary according to a player’s level and membership status. Adult members can reserve courts as early as 6 a.m. Monday to Friday. In addition, the center has a women’s league and an adult men and women’s ladder in which members compete for the top rankings in the club.

Three days out of the school week, teachers from the Edward Middle School and the Charlestown High School bring about 40 students from each school to play tennis for free and to fulfill physical education requirements. Griffith said that CHAD is looking to include students from the Warren-Prescott K-8 School in the school programs, as well as children in the Head Start program at the Kennedy Family Service Center.

Desmond said that the center enables high school students who can’t afford to join private athletic clubs to train for tennis tournaments. He added that he would like the Charlestown High School to organize a varsity tennis team, a project he said he plans to pursue. Ultimately, he said he would like to see the city either build another tennis center or expand the Stillman Tennis Center so that Charlestown could host a major tennis tournament.

Meanwhile, Griffith said that because the winter cover for the courts will only last five more years, the club plans to organize a fund for a new one. He said that the city has considered matching the funds that the club raises.

Upcoming events

• The center recently began adult evening classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and is looking for more people to sign up.
• The Stillman Tennis Center will have a junior tennis camp from July 5 to Aug. 26.
• CHAD plans to host the Boston Women’s Invitational Tennis Tournament late this summer and might add a men’s component.

The Stillman Tennis Center is open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call the center at 617-241-2990 for more information.