Tennis court and Basketball / Netball courts are on the way!







Karl Hale of Helping Hands with John Alexander who is finishing courts - to be completed next week and available to the community and visitors.

Exciting!

Very excited about the tennis courts. Will there be a charge to use them? Will there be someone to schedule the use of the courts?

We will have a soft opening of Tennis Court this Sat @ 8:30am @ Treasure Beach Sports Park.



We take this opportunity to thank all that made this possible including; Karl Hale and the Helping Hands team (Canada), Yellow Bird Foundation (Canada), Maisie Allan, Tony Davis, Daren James, David, Percy, Javied, Andrew Azar and Sparkling Waters Villas, Liz + Guiliano, Ellen + Steve Solms, Judy Hanley and Doubloon Villa, Annabelle Todd + Lyric, Jakes Hotel Villas and Spa, Bruce Bicknell, Jim and Sue Vanarsdale, James Sampson, John Alexandra, Tony + Linda Gambrill of Calabash Bay Villa and the directors of Breds - The Treasure Beach Foundation.

Due to maintenance (courts usually have to be re surfaces every 7 years) upkeep there will be a user charge of J$500 per hour for locals and Sports Park members and US$10 for visitors who are non members. Cost of membership is being proposed @ US$600 per year / US$50 per month.

Oh wow very affordable for the locals looks like this whole sportspark for the community isn't really so. Wonder if the sponsors knew they would be giving money to something that wouldn't be affordable to the average community member.Ridiculous to say the least.

I'm sorry but my first thought when seeing the photo was 'It just doesn't fit - out of place.'

Can anyone really look at that picture and say that that court looks like it belongs there?

Unbelievably overpriced. This is supposed to be a sports park for the community. The land was obtained on a peppercorn lease. Donations have funded every bit of building. Now we are being asked to pay outrageous prices for something that should be free.

Is the fee per hour for each participant or for the full court no matter if two or four people play?

What happens if locals are playing with visitors? What rate would then apply?

If an establishment such as a hotel or villa becomes a member do their guests then play at the local rate?

noise is bother on sunday morning

Congrats to all involved in the building of the tennis courts. What an accomplishment!

I do feel the costs are affordable. We have to be realistic about all of this. The cost to maintain courts of this calibar isn't cheap. Yes, donations brought them this far but they have to figure out a way for it to be sustainable otherwise in a few years we will just see everything crumbled up and weeds taking it over.

I am sure, just like the football and cricket fields, that there will be free clinics and lessons for the youth or various other community members. Maybe I am wrong here, but I would also assume if you can afford a tennis racket, tennis balls, etc. you probably can afford $500 JA to play on the court. Again, at an attempt to put this in perspective $500 JA is the cost of 3 Red Stripes at a local bar.

You now what with some people they need to stop living in the pass an move into the present.I give thanks to god for all the peoples that makes it happen may god keep blessing treasure beach. Thank you rebecca.

I think the price is completely over the top!. I think this price is set to keep out the less fortunate. The average salary is $4000 per week at the hotels! how will the average parents afford 3 hours of lesson per week?.Feed and clothes them, then string rackets??. I think this is surpressing talent! I live in North America and I see a lot of children that are talented but cannot afford court fees so they are left behind. I do understand the courts needs maintenance! but holy [edited by TB.Net} $600 per hour is madness Rebecca your comment about 3 beers for $600 is out of context, I am 10 years old and my parents don't drink. If this is for the rich and famous then please explain. Without funds coming through Western union many people in Treasure Beach go to bed hungry. I think someone needs to sit down and re-evaluate the cost. Or set up hours when the courts are free, or discount periods.

Venus and Serena broke down the barriers in Tennis.

Hi Rebbecca, you said it so well $500 JA is nothing when you're having fun.

People will stop living in the past and move into the present when they are paid decent wages and do not see their pay go down every time there are no tourists and they are told to not work these days or this week or this month or when tourists do not even give them a little tip. The people setting these prices do not know the hardship in this community and this is one more thing to set apart the ones who have from the ones who go to bed hungry.

Well hope they have dig trenches dip around the place, sending the water away from that, otherwise will be flooded and gone whit the wind....they still on time to take care of all that, start now, remember soon rain will start, and all that work will be for nothing.....but it looks good now, hope stays that way, for real.

I think everyone is clear that this is too expensive. I would suggest a visit back to the drawing board. I am glad the tourist has a place to play tennis, but I am poor and hungry and would like to play too. Let's make a Venus and Serena in Tennis in Treasure Beach, it is possible as they had a lot of free courts in America. Why the funded park/courts has to cost so much.

Words fail me. 500 Jamaican dollars (approx 5.50 USD) is too much to pay to play on a world class tennis court. I don't think you can go anywhere in the world and play an hours tennis for under 25 USD/hour and up to 75. As for the comment 'it doesn't fit'...what does that mean exactly?

I played on it this morning and for me personally it was worth every penny I contributed to it. Also we played with a lot of the kids who came out to watch and believe me there is a lot of pride in this community that they have this facility. There are thousands of villages around Jamaica the size of Treasure Beach who have nothing comparable to this and the people from Treasure Beach are very very proud of it.

Keep in mind that the court is new and not everything has been ironed out yet. There are plans to have clinics for local kids just like on the football field and to introduce them to the sport and perhaps a sliding scale of fees. There is also the potential for young local enthusiasts to earn some pocket money as ball kids which is what I did when I was young.

There are so many examples in Jamaica of facilities that were built and never maintained and are now unusable. This is not going to be one of them. A friend related a story to me of a small hotel that had printed a brochure about the hotel and facilities and charged their guests 5 cents for it. Why? Because he found that when people paid for something they took better care of it. Instead of the flyers being thrown on the ground and discarded haphazardly, people kept them and read them.

I am not rich by any means and it was a big struggle and sacrifice to make my contribution to this court but it was important to me and I found a way to do it. So maybe those of you on this page that have a few dollars and are complaining of the price could start a fund to assist some of the less fortunate.

I guess words didn't fail me.

Well, knowing Jason, and the wonderful giving man that he is, he is NOT making money on this but merely calculating expenses to just break even. Have any of you any idea the maintenance involved on these courts? Jason has volunteered so much of his time and efforts on this, he cannot be expected to take a loss can he? I think the fees are good, and I also think we should cut checks to Jason to help him out if you can afford to do that. He is so humble he will not ask but merely move on knowing he did Gods work.

TB youth taking his first swing.



Annabelle Todd coaching new player.



Aubyn Hill, President of Tennis Jamaica, coaching young Martini.

Hi Jason you're doing wonders for T.B keep up the good works I am very proud of you.

Here's my opinion. If you are not involved in the process or not willing to get involved in the process, then I will not listen to your criticism. For those of you criticizing the fees, what are you doing to make it so there is no fee? What are you doing for the community to involve the youth, hold free training clinics, etc? Why don't you build a tennis court and continually maintain it and offer it free to the community?

If all you are doing to make a change or get involved is spend 3 minutes writing your criticisms on this forum, then sorry, I'm not going to listen to you.

If you are getting the President of Tennis Jamaica to come and meet some of the youth of our community or if you are involved in sponsorship, giving free lessons or whatever, then I will hear what you have to say.

you said it so well get involved.thank you

Miss Janet are you willing to identify yourself?

{edited by TBNet} "$500 JA is nothing when you're having fun" Nothing to you, but to alot of families it is alot. You speak from being misled or cannot see the forest through the trees...This comment is really sad. {edited by TBNet}

Keep it good, is healthy for the community, Good job.

If what one of the posters here says is true, the average salary of a hotel/guest house worker is $4000 JA per week. Let's just say this worker is a woman, maybe a mother of a couple of children. It will cost $500 JA each, for her children to play - so $1000 JA for her two kids to have one game of tennis.

That's ONE-QUARTER of her total weekly salary!!

How can this be considered 'worth every penny' or a good deal??

Learning tennis with no shoes! then how am I going to afford $500 per hour.

Well, at least the coaching is a free service to the local youths.

Will there be night tennis? Even under lights $500 is too much. Lets say there is an average of 4 hrs tennis per day,for 200 days in the year, that amounts to $400,000,or $2.8m over seven years! The maintenance cost will never reach that level If it is not used as regularly then maintenance may not be anything significant..unless there is an earthquake.As a tennis player myself, I used to play almost every day, at this price that would be impossible. The other thing is, why is the mentality always is to squeeze the tourist? Why should they pay more? Value for money must always be the consideration. $10 means something to a tourist, it is not like our ten $10.

Anyone who knows the reality of the residents of Treasure Beach will know that $500 is a lot for a good number of people. I think those who deny this are either hiding their heads in the sand or deliberately ignoring facts.

I do not argue the fact that it takes money to maintain the facility, but let's not pretend that the ordinary person can afford these rates.

People you are misunderstanding the cost of the fee, the fee is $500. Now one person cannot play a game of tennis unless they have a machine right. so put your heads together and then you will get it the $500 is for two person per hour simple as that as we all can see the posting from Breds did not say $500 per person did it? no it did not say that. Persons who are criticizing should have first ask the question is the fee for one or two person per hour. and Spooky Dude where you are from how much is the cost to play a game of tennis? and i am sure it is way more expensive than the $500,and night tennis should be more because electric bill are not cheap it cost a lot to maintain a tennis court and tennis is not played is treasure beach and i am happy the court is there so i am willing to pay for my child to learn a new sport differently from football, cricket and basketball. $500 is really cheap.

Mr. Dude, I usually disagree with you but not this time. In US, that amounts to about $33,000 to resurface one tennis court. I call that profiteering.

TB.net-end the discussion-everything whats new is for soem people not good-this tennis is the best thing what ever happened to TB-and 500 Js is cheap-nowhere in the world you can play for this-

Depending on the type of court, it costs as little as $1,500 or as much as $15,000 US to resurface a court. $30,000 seems quite excessive. I am also quoting prices to do this in Florida where it costs more to do this work.

Okay, so what about the administrative costs of organizing free clinics, court time, etc? What about the utilities costs for the changing rooms and bathroom facilities? What about the overseas shipping, duty tax, and transportation costs for the resurfacing material (not an issue for Florida)? What about all the other hidden costs for running the sports park? What about maintaining the playground that is free for all to use? And I could go on.

As I stated earlier, unless you have a solution on how to provide all of this for free all the time or if you are involved in the process I don't think you can judge as to what the costs are to run a facility of this size or caliber.

Come on folks, there are all kinds of free clinics being held for those interested in football, cricket, tennis, with netball and basketball coming soon. These need to be funded somehow. What would you suggest as to how to fund them? Would you rather none of these free clinics are here at all because everything can't be free?

The confusion and being upset may have to do with the fact the sports park was "sold" as a facility that would be free. I am not saying the prices being charged are not fair because I am not sure one way or the other. But if people have the expectation the park will be there for them to use at no cost and then there are charges, they are disappointed and sometimes angry and resentful.

modern days, i'm sure there are no fools here on this forum, all the fees are per person. Thank God BREDS has a change of heart

Are the fees per person or per court? I am not understanding what Resident said about BREDS has a change of heart. Please explain.

It was never ever sold as being free. Never.

Resident, i asked questions and the answers i got from persons involved with breds says the fees which is $500 is in fact for two person.now i hope this will settle your post. and people keep in mind that these are jamaican dollars.

If I as a tourist play doubles with another couple, does this mean the cost would be $20 for an hour?

to resident, if you noticed i had addressed 'modern days' modern days is saying the $500.00 is for two persons and not one person, so i am saying thanks to BREDS if this is infact so, because the fees quoted are clearly per person. Considering that tennis is new to Treasure Beach, i wouldn't expect the coach to pay, but according to modern days both coach and new player will pay this $500.00.

{edited by TBNet} Most hotels do not charge guests to use their courts. This is not supposed to be a money making venture, it is supposed to be a community project.
Where I am from I actually play free as a member of a club, but I also play for free at other clubs. Resurfacing of courts is much less frequent than seven years as suggested.
By the way that is right here in Ja.

I am more concerned about if the facility has a decent amount of liability insurance, because seeing the child playing in flip flops, and the other child playing in bare feet is a liability. Those children are going to end up with broken ankles from stopping fast on their feet with no support, and those in flip flops are going to slip/trip and break a knee, wrist, elbow.....oh boy, you see, they are scraping up the fee to play, and have nothing else to buy proper equiptment to play. I am sorry, but there should be a mandatory rule for proper running shoes on these tennis courts. I am not here to discuss the rate to play, I am concerned about the kids getting hurt wearing flip flops and NO shoes!! Oh boy!! That is lawsuits just ready to happen...except their families probably can't afford a good lawyer!!

What was edited? I don't recall writing anything before what has been posted.

Well, here again, they are justifying the costs of playing based on resurfacing costs.I guess time will tell. Let's save this post and see what really happens when it is time to resurface. Wanna bet they say there is no money?

The insurance problem also troubles me. I recall seeing some signs posted here a few months back saying something to the effect of "use park at your own risk". If someone injures themself, what happens?

Well go to a clinic, If I go to a park, and injured my self, way should I blame the owners of the park, I´m not a kid, all parks are like that. In US, you use the parks at your OWN RISK,kids go with a baby sitter. You take risks walking on the streets.

I am a native of Treasure Beach living in America. I currently have membership to a gym that has Two Tenis courts, Three basketball coutrs, Excercise equipments, a Swiming Pool, a Hot Tub/Whirlpool, a Steam Room, Showers and Lockers, Three Lounge areas with TV, Game room for Kids with Xbox, Wii, Play Station, Pool Table, Table Tenis, and Computers, They offer Day Care service while parents workout. I pay a membership fee of $25us a Month. a one day pass is $5us. hours of operations are 5:30am to 10:00pm 7 days a week. Now you can do the calculations and see if it is too much for a parent that can only buy one pair of shoes a year for their kids that can only be worn to Church or at Christmas time so they last longer. Two and a half hours of games pays for one month of my membership, NICE!!!!!!

I've been wondering why Jason and BREDS get so much heat for everything they seem to do; the tennis court is a prime example because it's hard to deny the tennis court is a bonus for Treasure Beach. I may have the answer. When they introduce something it never feels completely thought out to me. There are always little pieces missing so people pick pick pick away. If this tennis court was mine to manage I would announce everything at one time so there was no confusion and no reason to gripe. Tell the prices and tell them clearly. If necessary explain why the prices are what they are. Explain the sign up procedure. Take the time to think things through, anticipate any confusion or objections and work those out, think things through and explain things so they are clear to everyone. Give ALL the information up front. If there are questions take the time and interest to respond to them promptly. BREDS is an organization with deep pockets and resources run by smart people. Sometimes it doesn't come across that way.

Where do you sign up for court time and where do you pay?

"No Mandatory"...are you serious? And who is going to monitor proper shoes? Park should not be responsible to see that citizens wear safe shoes. [edited by TB.Net}

Perhaps Jamaicans are not litigious. Trust me when an American injures himself at the sports park no matter what any warning signs say, someone is going to get sued. Big time.

this Tennis looks for some people like an Alien-did you know that we write 2012

Own rental property in TB. We are heavily insured. We would not take the risk of going without liability insurance. One lawsuit could wipe us out.

"Lawsuit coming" [edited by TB.Net]. People get hurt all the time playing sports at
places like this and it just comes with playing sports. So to think someone will get sued because they played tennis with sandals on [edited by TB.Net.]