Costs associated with general maintenance, wear from regular use and complaints about noise from some nearby residents has forced Dearborn schools to limit the number of tennis courts it now keeps open to the public.

Costs have forced Dearborn Schools to lock some of the tennis courts at Edsel, Fordson and Dearborn High's new courts, pictured here. Residents behind these courts have complained recently about noise.

 The move has upset some residents who contend that as taxpayers they should have unfettered use of a school’s tennis facilities. We have received several emails from upset tennis players in recent weeks saying as much.

One such reader had this to say in an email to us:

“Either courts have been demolished, a la at Henry Ford and UM Dearborn, or they are all locked up at Dearborn High or at Ford Field. We pay our school taxes and are funding the new football stadium, which the jury is still out if it is completely necessary.

“They have built some lovely new courts at the high school, but no one can use them. What is going on here? Who do you have to know to get keys?”

With shrinking school budgets, school officials tell us they had to lock some tennis courts at Dearborn, Edsel and Fordson for simple cost reasons. They also wanted to be sure students had good surfaces to play on when the school year began.

If people are simply “hanging out” late into the night at the new courts behind Dearborn High, as some residents are complaining about, closing off some courts was the right move.

Now we know some will disagree but as a tennis player myself, the question I have is why some of our city parks don’t have more tennis courts. Our guess is that there simply isn’t the tennis traffic needed to warrant such a move. Another, no doubt, is the cost to maintain and keep the courts lighted at night.

This of course begs this question: if the hard-surface tennis courts are being closed for maintenance concerns and wear does that mean the new football fields with their fancy artificial field will also be closed to those hoping to play on when the football or soccer team isn’t using them?

Here are the new tennis court operations at Dearborn High School: 

The (2) courts near Outer Drive to be open all of the time

The (3) courts in the back of the building to be opened as follows:

· From 7:30am – 3:30pm every day that the school building is open.

· For DHS tennis team use (practice and matches) – must be coach/staff supervised

· For all permit use (limited)