Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/132206
TENNIS, ANYONE? Supporters of a move to save the Sarasota High tennis courts sit together at the May 21 School Board meeting. Photo by Scott Proffitt THE PUBLIC PEPPERS THE SCHOOL BOARD WITH PROTESTS ABOUT THE PENDING DEMOLITION OF SARASOTA HIGH'S TENNIS COURTS By Scott Proffitt Staff Writer While it might be said the Sarasota County School Board has been focused on budget issues, most people at the board's May 21 regular meeting were focused on tennis — or, rather, the lack thereof that will be the case quite soon at Sarasota High School. Big changes are imminent on the Sarasota High campus, starting this very summer. While the exterior of world-renowned architect Paul Rudolph's Building 4 will be saved, the tennis courts are slated for demolition to make way for a new vehicle loop to allow parents to pick up and drop off students at the school. A number of neighborhood tennis players attended the May 21 School Board meeting to speak about community/school interaction, the obesity and diabetes epidemic and the value of tennis courts. Among those who addressed the board was Elmer Berkel, one-time mayor and long-time resident of Sarasota. Some mentioned a long-ago agreement between the City of Sarasota and the board to keep the facilities in place, with the city having paid to resurface the courts. Mike Lichet presented a petition signed by 750 people opposing the demolition.