By Maria Prato-Gaines, Staff Writer
MONROE — Sports fanatics will be happy to hear that the township Planning Board gave final approval for the construction of a 105-square-foot indoor and outdoor multisports center.
The Monroe 33 Tennis, Basketball and Sports Center is expected to be built on an approximately 12-acre site on Perrineville Road by spring 2010, said Fred Klatsky, co-owner of the development.
The center will feature two regular tennis courts and two hard-true, or clay surfaced, tennis courts in its approximately 25,000-square-foot outdoor portion, along with six to eight tennis courts and a multipurpose gym with two basketball courts in its approximately 80,000-square-foot indoor portion, Mr. Klatsky said.
The facility will be built in two phases, with the indoor facility set to open in September 2009 and the outdoor section by spring 2010, he said.
Members of the facility will have access to the outdoor courts during the winter, as a removable bubble will enclose the area.
In addition to its courts, the facility will also house full locker room facilities, a nursery for children, a pro shop and lounge areas.
Mr. Klatsky said his facility wouldn’t be in competition with local gyms, as it does not feature treadmills or aerobic classes. Instead it would emphasize leagues, instruction, and classes, he said.
”We are not a health club,” Mr. Klatsky said. “I call this a big sport, sports facility. Tennis and basketball will be our main two sports. We’re going to use some of the space with soccer. These spaces are interchangeable.”
Mr. Klatsky, who has also owned and helped manage a similar facility in Old Bridge for the past 18 years, New Jersey 34 Tennis Club, said his company had considered several locations in the area for this newest project, but ultimately decided Monroe was an ideal location.
”Monroe was a great location for a couple of reasons,” he said. “The location was perfect. It’s also one of those rare towns that had a mix of demographics in its population.”
If everything goes to according to plan, Mr. Klatsky said, he expects to receive a building permit in the next month.
”The town’s been very thorough but efficient and cooperative,” Mr. Klatsky said of the process.
Members to the center will likely pay a $40 to $45 annual membership fee and a separate charge for use of the courts, he said.
They will also have access to video of their games, as the facility will also provide cameras on several of its courts and post footage through the Internet, Mr. Klatsky said.
”We’ll keep it in the computer up to three weeks,” he said. “We don’t know anyone else that has it.”
Mr. Klatsky said he plans to develop a business anchored in the community, a family business he hope to pass on to his three children, all of whom played collegiate athletics at Ivy League schools.
”We’re going to look to do charity work with local groups,” he said. “We want to be a part of the community.”

