Editor:

We are in agreement with the letter that you printed July 29 from Dave and Val Mudrow about the inappropriate use of public tennis courts for private lessons. We have also tried to use the public courts but have been unable to because they have been dominated by private tennis instructors and their students.

We are fortunate that Bountiful has provided a number of tennis courts for its citizens, and believe that some procedure should be in place to assure fair access to these courts for all Bountiful citizens. We love tennis, and believe it to be a game that can be played by people of all ages. We also believe that for the children, the younger they are when they start, the more they will appreciate tennis and want to continue to play. As such, these private instructors have a role in tennis in Bountiful.

We do not, however, believe that private tennis instructors should be able to effectively commandeer virtually all of the public courts for their private business interests every morning. Many cities prohibit private lessons on public courts. We recognize that this is difficult to enforce. Others charge private instructors a significant rental fee to use the courts. While that is a possibility, we think that a better compromise is to permit the use of public courts for private lessons from noon to 4 p.m. each day. The courts are not in heavy demand during that time and this would permit private instructors to still teach their lessons but would make the courts available for recreational use by other Bountiful citizens at more popular times.

Greg and Kaylene Lindley

and 17 other residents