"In terms of making sure these are open weather permitting, this is our commitment to the village." Mayor Barry Frohlinger said that to the Herald in October 2025. He was answering rumors that the Atlantic Beach Tennis and Pickleball Center at 60 The Plaza would shut down without notice. The courts stayed open. But the promise came with a limit: weather permitting.
A year later, the Village has put that limit up for bid. On October 5, 2026, it issued an amendment to its tennis center request for proposals. The amendment says the Village "would look favorably on permanent bubbling to provide a year-round experience at the Facility." For a barrier island where winter has meant closed clubs and empty courts, that sentence matters more than which operator wins.
A Seasonal License With an End Date
Under the Village's RFP, a private seasonal operator currently runs the center. That license "expires on December 1, 2026," unless both parties agree to extend it. The RFP lists what the next operator would take over:
- 4 clay courts
- 6 HarTru courts
- 6 pickleball courts
- A clubhouse, permanent lighting and the related infrastructure
The document calls the current setup "a hybrid model featuring tennis and pickleball." It also says the Village "believes there is significant potential to expand." The center already has a following. The Herald's 2025 report put membership at 120 tennis members and 62 pickleball members. One member also told the paper that members "pay until the end of December." Those dues ran past the point when the Mayor's "weather permitting" commitment would usually have applied.
Here is how the process has gone, using the dates the Village has published:
| Date | What happened or happens |
|---|---|
| September 10, 2026 | RFP issued |
| October 1, 2026 | Deadline for bidder questions |
| October 5, 2026 | Amendment No. 1 answers a question about a year-round bubble |
| October 15, 2026, 3 p.m. | Proposals due |
| October 19, 2026 | Board of Trustees meets; tennis center not on the agenda |
| November 9, 2026 | Next Board of Trustees meeting |
| December 1, 2026 | Current seasonal operator's license expires |
The RFP says any extension of the due date "will be publicized on the Village website." The posting still lists October 15. As of this week, the Village has not posted a selection.
The Question a Bidder Asked
The year-round idea did not start in the original RFP. It came up through the question process. According to the amendment, a potential proposer asked whether it could "bubble 6 courts and keep the bubble up all year round or will the bubble have to be taken down during the summer months?"
The Village answered in writing on October 5.
The Successful Proposer will be allowed to bubble the courts as part of the Successful Proposer's capital investment in the Facility, subject to the Village's approval of the design and plans for construction and such other terms and conditions as will be contained in the License.
The same answer lets bidders propose bubbling some of the tennis courts, some of the pickleball courts, or a mix of both. It also says a bubble could hold other amenities, "such as a gym." The cost would sit with the operator as its own capital investment, and the design would still need Village approval. So a bubble depends on two things: what a winning bidder offers to pay for, and what the Village approves. The Village has only said it would look favorably on one. It has not committed to building it.
The Basketball Court Comes Into It
There is a second clause that matters to anyone who uses The Plaza without a membership. The public basketball court on the site is not part of the current operator's license. The RFP expects it to be licensed to the next operator, with "no requirement" that it stay a basketball court.
The RFP also protects public play. If the new operator takes over the court so that it can no longer be used for public basketball, the operator has to build a replacement at its own expense. The new court would go on Village-owned property just north of the site. It would be a Village-operated court with two full-size backboards and extra lines so it can switch to public pickleball with portable nets. Plans would go to the Village Planning Board before any work starts. A bubble over the paid courts and a free outdoor court next door could come out of the same contract.
The Winter a Bubble Would Join
The case for an indoor anchor gets clearer when you look at what the island's off-season offers now. The Village ended the 2026 beach season on Labor Day, September 7. Since then the beaches have been unguarded and bathing is prohibited. Sun & Surf Beach Club spent the end of its summer recovering from an EF-1 tornado that hit on August 20 and damaged about 50 cabanas. The Herald reported September 11 that the club's restaurant would stay closed for the rest of the season while rebuilding went on.
The cold-weather routine runs on a different set of Village rules. The pets page bars dogs from the beach only from April through September, so the sand is open to them through the winter. The boardwalk stays off-limits to dogs year-round, and leashes can be no longer than six feet. Under the Village's parking rules, the 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. restriction is lifted from September 16 to May 14. Ocean Boulevard sticker parking stays in force all year.
Away from the beach, the off-season revolves around a few addresses. These are the hours each business lists:
- Boardwalk Bagel, 105 Putnam Boulevard, open daily 5 a.m. to 6 p.m. (boardwalkbagel.com)
- Atlantic Beach Café Deli, 1961 Park Street, open 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (menu and ordering)
- Beginnings, 1986 Park Street, taking reservations this month, with happy hour Wednesday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. (beginningsrestaurant.com)
- Gio's, on Park Street, serving dinner and Sunday brunch, with reservations and online ordering (giosofatlanticbeach.com)
That means early bagels, a deli lunch, happy hour, and a beach where dogs can now walk. What the winter list doesn't include is an indoor place to play, and the October 5 amendment points to exactly that.
The center has also been building a reputation beyond its members. On September 19 it hosted the second annual Atlantic Open with Tennis Grip, with tournament play, drills, food and activities. Organizer David Gill told the Herald that proceeds support year-round tennis programming. Tennis is already bringing people to The Plaza after Labor Day.
What Happens Between Now and December 1
The next public date is the Board of Trustees meeting on November 9, 2026. The October 19 agenda gave it as the date of the next meeting. Agendas and minutes appear on the Village's meetings page. The license expires three weeks after that meeting. So by December 1, residents should know whether the current arrangement is extended, a new operator is chosen, or the courts face another winter in limbo.
Meanwhile, work is going on a few blocks away. Liberty Utilities' water-main replacement on Genesee Boulevard and Fulton Avenue, between Park Street and Ocean Boulevard, was tentatively scheduled to start the week of October 12, weather permitting. The Village has warned of possible detours and road closures. It says affected residents will get 24 hours' notice before any planned water shutoff. The Village notice gives no completion date.
Whoever wins the license, a permanent bubble would need an approved design and construction under Village oversight. No bubble has been approved. Still, for the first time, the Village has said in writing that it would like the Atlantic Beach Tennis Center to stay open all year.
If you'd like to talk through what the tennis center decision could mean for your Atlantic Beach home, The Steven Kramer Team is glad to help. Request a confidential consultation.
