County Approves iTennis Contract for Operation of Arcadia Park

The County Board Supervisors unanimously approved a controversial contract with Pasadena-based company iTennis to operate the courts at . In addition to operating the court facilities, iTennis — founded by former tennis pro John Letts — would also run tournaments and coordinate instructors for private and group lessons.

to assuage fears that iTennis would turn the courts into a private tennis club. At issue were fee hikes and a membership system iTennis outlined in its proposal to the County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Opponents of the iTennis contract also claimed the bidding process lacked transparency and was misleading, to the disadvantage of other concessionaires who also put forth proposals.

Rusty Miller has operated the courts since the 1980's. He has run the courts on a month-to-month basis ever since his contract expired in 2007. Speaking before the County Board of Supervisors, Miller said he felt officials had not given his proposal a fair shot.

"The good will that I have created in Aracdia Park in the last 26 years was not evaluated," he said, noting that he has trained hundreds of nationally ranked tennis players during his tenure as the park's concessionaire.

iTennis operates the tennis center at the Rose Bowl, the Whittier Narrows Tennis Club in El Monte and the Andulka Tennis Club in Riverside. The company also offers tennis lessons at 10 court Poinsettia Park Tennis Complex in Carlsbad.

Poinsettia Park is operated by the City of Carlsbad Parks and Recreation Department.

The Rose Bowl offers free use of the courts to the public upon availability. Court rental at Whittier ranges between $6-$10 an hour. Individual membership is $50 a month — for families it is $70 a month.

The iTennis proposal for Arcadia Park included a $50 optional membership fee. County officials have compared the fee to a "frequent fliers" card that would give members access to discounts and other perks.

Players can now use the courts for free, although there is $4 fee to reserve the courts. County officials said the fees cannot be raised for a year, but iTennis may petition the county to raise the fees after that. The last fee increase was in 1996.

Letts said his only goal is to improve the facilities, not limit peoples' access to it.

"My mission is the promote the game of tennis, which is a lifetime sport, a family sport. And that's what I have ied to do."