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Historic Garneau Tennis Club Converts to Nova'Pro Clay

CHATTANOOGA, TN, July 16, 2008 — With the debut of seven new Nova’Pro Clay tennis courts, the days of stomping on muddy shale and cracked asphalt courts are over for the members of Garneau Tennis Club, located in a city park in downtown Edmonton, Alberta Canada. The reconstruction process began in October 2007 and is complete, with the courts now open for recreation and tournaments.

The Garneau Tennis and Beach Volleyball Club, originally built in 1929, is listed on
the historical register for the City of Edmonton and is currently under consideration to be the first municipally-designated historical sports facility for all of Alberta, Canada. The venue’s courts are the only red clay tennis courts within the province.

In keeping with the 80-year tradition of the red shale courts at Garneau, the executive committee chose to replace all of the existing courts using a burgundy red clay topping with NGI Sports’ Nova’ProClay court system. Upgrades were made to the court base structure, drainage and irrigation systems. Additionally, landscaping improved and enhanced the park setting.

“NGI Sports’ Nova’Pro Clay was the best fit for our historical and traditional guidelines, as well as for playability and aesthetics,” said Derri Thomas, President of the Garneau Tennis Club. “We wanted the same playability of a soft court surface with a slide to take a lot of the shock out of the game. We also had longstanding base problems. Nova’Pro Clay courts proved to be the most economical way to bring a strong base to the facility while avoiding major excavation. The fact that all construction work was completed inside the existing fencing, allowed us to maintain the integrity of the site.”

There was concern over the environmental impact on the site and a goal to save the Canadian maple trees which surrounded it. Although some deceased and damaged trees were removed and replaced by the City, NGI Sports ProClay overlay system was ideal for the City of Edmonton Parks Arboretum Department to ensure non-invasive site construction to maximize the safety of the trees.

The Garneau tennis executive committee traveled to Rhode Island and New Hampshire in April 2006 to evaluate the ProClay surface. Thomas and the Club’s vice president, Malcolm Smith, were impressed with the “pool table” finish and accessibility in dire weather conditions.

“After a steady rain, the courts dried within 15 minutes,” says Thomas. “By using this system, we have already increased play time and quality.”

This project was spearheaded by an active, growing tennis membership at Garneau. The reconstruction with Nova’ProClay was financed with matching funds from the Alberta Tourism, Parks, Recreation and Culture Department’s “Major Community Facilities Program.” The Club also provided funds for the project from membership savings.

The Nova’Pro-Clay surfacing system from NGI Sports, is a patented process which provides traditional clay court play, without the maintenance issues. Never duplicated, this one-of-a-kind system allows for a 75% reduction in annual maintenance costs associated with standard clay courts. NGI Sports, based in Chattanooga, TN, supplies the tennis, golf and sports and recreation industries with innovative, eco-friendly surfacing systems that contribute to the sustainability of playing areas.

Posted on August 14, 2008
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