VENTURA : Vandalism Affects Nighttime Tennis
A coin-operated lighting system for tennis courts at Ventura’s Camino Real Park will be moved indoors because of continuing vandalism, the city’s parks department has announced.
Vandals have caused an estimated $12,000 in damage to the lighting system by repeatedly tampering with electrical wiring, fencing, locks and the system’s coin boxes, said parks superintendent Bill Byerts.
The system allowed tennis players to pay 50 cents an hour for lighting at any time of the night.
The new system, which costs $2 an hour, will be located inside a snack bar that will stay open seven days a week from dusk to 10:30 p.m. and be staffed by an attendant, he said.
“This is certainly not how we like to do business since it’s extra work for both our staff and the tennis players themselves, but this was seen as the best possible solution to the problems we were experiencing,” Byerts said.
The new system becomes operational Nov. 23 at the park located near Dean Drive and Varsity Street.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
