Facility Highlight: Des Peres Park

“If we were going to put all that effort into the beautification process of this part of the park, we wanted to make sure it was going to last with as much heavy usage as we get,” Newgent said. “The post-tension concrete was the way to go. It’s been a great thing to have.”

A parking lot is located between the tennis courts and three pickleball courts. And a walkway neatly segmenting the tennis courts into two pairs of three allows for ease of movement throughout the facility. That was a focal point in the design of the courts, Newgent said, as the old layout featured three distinct two-court systems that lacked functionality.

“It was a hillside. There were three tiers: two up top, two in the middle and two on bottom. It kind of looked like a staircase,” Newgent said. “The problem we were running into was the soil composition underneath the courts was starting to erode. All the courts were sliding down the hill. Fence posts were popping up. We had cracks and sinkholes starting to form.”

On demolition day in 2019, Newgent recalled breaking up an area on the north side of Court 2. About 40 tennis balls had made their way inside a gigantic hole.

“We had great youth and adult programs across the board, great camp numbers,” Newgent said. “We were bringing in great tournaments. But it was starting to become an eyesore. It was definitely something we knew our users were utilizing, and it was the right opportunity to revamp it. To put some more landscaping into making it look like a new, aesthetically pleasing park system.”

Usage rates since the remodel have “just skyrocketed,” Newgent said. Des Peres Park recently played host to a pair of USTA St. Louis Level 6 junior tournaments that featured 75 and 49 participants, respectively. The facility has been the home site of several USTA junior and adult tournaments throughout the 13 years Newgent has worked for the City of Des Peres.

“I’ve always been a friend of USTA,” Newgent said. “I love the organization. I love what they stand for. I love what they do for the St. Louis area. I’m always open to new ideas and new partnership opportunities with them.”