Bainbridge Island tennis aficionados have two more courts where they can come in out of the rain to play.
The Bainbridge Athletic Club’s new steel tennis building is up and running, giving the Club a total of five indoor tennis courts.
Fairbank Construction Company of Bainbridge Island handed BAC the keys to the 13,924 square foot pre-engineered metal building on January 29 of this year, two months after the start of construction.
The new building replaces an inflatable structure that covered the two regulation asphalt courts for more than 15 years.
“Inflatable structures have a much shorter life span than a metal building like this one,” said BAC owner Ted Eisenhardt. “Despite the current economic climate, we are investing in the future in ways that will best serve the Bainbridge community with a full-service athletic club. To maximize what we can offer our members and for the best neighborhood aesthetics, a permanent building addition was the way to go.”
The project faced several major challenges before physical construction could start.
“We started the design review and permit process last May,” said Greg Livdahl, project manager for Fairbank Construction Company. “The city worked with us to get everything in order, but there were still challenges in adapting a twenty year old foundation to a modern steel building, particularly in respect to runoff and drainage.”
Livdahl also credits Bainbridge Athletic Club’s neighbors for helping the project move forward. “This is an incredibly challenging building site,” he explains. “The Athletic Club had very little extra parking to accommodate their members plus a construction project, and there are several residences close by. Fortunately, Meadowmeer Golf and Country Club allowed us to use some of their parking and the residents were very patient while we were in the most construction intensive stages.”
The new building’s design utilizes four large clear span trusses to keep the interior space completely free of supporting structural columns. Four large roll-up doors, two on each end of the building, offer fresh air and daylight to players when the weather permits.
Bainbridge Athletic Club has recently added other fitness spaces, and now features more than 50,000 square feet of facilities that include four studios, two major weight training areas, and a variety of new weight and cardio equipment. The new building will allow for additional flexibility as the tennis courts will be available for alternative athletic uses for all ages at various times.
