MARLBORO — In 2008 the Marlboro Planning Board unanimously approved an application for an indoor tennis facility to be constructed on Amboy Road, near the Texas Road intersection.
The projected completion date for the tennis center was July 2009.
The Marlboro Tennis and Training Center was partially built, but never opened for business.
Instead, damage to nearby properties in the Bellemont housing development, financial problems and what some people believe was the overly excessive clearing of trees on the property eventually tainted the project in the eyes of some residents and board members.
Now, Centercourt of Marlboro — purchased last year by a company that runs several similar operations in New Jersey — is expected to open its doors in September.
Planning Board members recently found the tennis center application before them once again.
Representatives of Centercourt re- ceived approval from the board to amend the site plan, to add about 800 square feet to the second floor for a viewing area. The board took the action at its July 18 meeting.
“We are very much looking forward to opening our Amboy Road facility. We know there have been a lot of broken promises and we are acutely aware of that,” Centercourt principal Gary Fuhrman said in reference to the previous developer’s actions. “What we found in our experience is that viewing (the tennis being played) is a very important component.”
Fuhrman went on to say that while many parents drop off their children at Centercourt’s other facilities, it is least distracting for coaches and players to have parents who choose to stay at the facility do so on the second floor.
The additional floor space will cut into a two-story atrium at the entrance of the building, said architect David Feldman, who testified on behalf of the applicant. Although a second floor is already in existence, the applicant will now extend it from 100 to 120 feet in length.
The lounge will include a seating area and several TVs, Fuhrman noted.
Board members made it clear that the extra space would not be used for anything other than the proposed viewing area, which the applicant said he understood.
“We are happy you have taken over this project because it’s really been an eyesore for us,” board Chairman Larry Josephs said. “We are looking forward to getting it finished, but we just want to make sure it’s done properly and to assure the residents of Bellemont that we are looking out for everyone’s best interest.”
While board members and professionals acknowledged that Fuhrman and his group have worked to right the wrongs of the previous developer, some residents who were negatively affected by the tennis facility voiced their concerns during the public portion of the meeting.
Milena Koifman, whose backyard borders the Centercourt property, said her family has dealt with mudslides, earlymorning construction on weekends, and the loss of trees as a buffer.
“We want to get this done. We want it to be complete because we have really been through hell and back with this whole project,” Koifman said.
The drainage system was not operational at the time of the public hearing, board engineer Laura Neumann noted, but it would have to be operational for the applicant to gain a certificate of occupancy.
Josephs asked Fuhrman to push construction to a later time on weekends and Fuhrman agreed to that request.
Fuhrman previously said trees would be planted near the property line to allow neighbors privacy.
Resident Michael Kravchenko said holes in the fence have put children of Bellemont in harm’s way, as they could gain access to the construction site.
Such holes were temporary paths to allow for the installation of trees between properties, said Kevin Costello, who oversees the construction effort.
Fuhrman and Costello said they would walk the property line with concerned residents and address any potential problems that remain after construction is complete.
Centercourt of Marlboro will be available to children and adults.
“We go into a community and we develop extensive junior programming with excellent professionals, and we also have women’s and men’s clinics. It operates very well. We put a lot of resources into the facility, in terms of customer service and in terms of quality of equipment,” Fuhrman said.
He said that despite the rocky history of this facility in Marlboro, his company will not cut corners with its services or its duty to its neighbors.