This past summer, we took on the daunting task of giving our lounge a face lift. The question wasn’t whether it was time for a new look, but what that new look would be. While the project got underway in late June, plans began in January and included a visit to another recently remodeled tennis facility as well as consultations with an interior decorator. Debbie & Kris decided to tackle the project head on, and I, as any smart manager would do, moved quickly to the sidelines. The renovation was completed just before the start of contracts in September, and took about 2 1/2 months to finish.

We began the project with replacing our ceiling tiles. This involved first locating and patching our leaks as well as refastening our channel locks that hold the tiles in place. The next phase was painting our interior, which of course included the removal of all the various items decorating our walls. You will notice that many of those items did not survive the “cut” and have since been retired.

Then came the construction of our new counter. Tearing down the old counter was the fun part. Constructing the new counter, and adding the cabinets and slatwall were a bit more time consuming and thought provoking. A makeshift desk area was created in the middle of our lounge. Some members liked the new cozy arrangement. The desk crew disagreed. I will let this picture tell the story.

Once the counter was finished, we then recarpeted not only the entire lounge, but pro shop, locker rooms and back office space as well. The stone bistro tables and furniture were the finishing touches. With our additional space created, we were able to move our coat rack next to the door and place two tables over by the stairs. In case you are wondering, the friendly old round tables and chairs are now upstairs, making for a wonderful place to relax, have lunch, play cards or watch tennis. This has resulted in the creation of an upstairs lounge! I have a hard time thowing things away. For all you bar fans, Aces has remained the same.

The view of our lounge from the desk counter
There are many people to thank. I would like to thank Terri Ludwig Rittberg for her insights, expertise and positive energy as our consultant. Bill Steege of Birchwood Fitness for his generous donation of time and assistance. George Damasevitz for doing an ace job replacing our ceiling tiles and making our new pro shop shelves, amidst throngs of summer campers. George has great trouble shooting skills or we would still be working on the ceiling tiles. Jeff & Jerry Kopolow for not only their high quality painting work, but their advice and genuine care about our entire project. Blair Rounds for building an awesome counter, his sage words of wisdom and calm easy going demeaor. Warehouse Carpet for working with us in picking out our carpet and speedy installation. Olums & Ashley Furniture for the wonderful stone “bistro” tables. IKEA furniture for turning our slip cover a corporate nightmare, but also for making quality furninture. Most importantly, Kris & Debbie for all their input, creative vision and great care about the look of our lounge and serving our members..Thank You!