Sports complex to rise along Route 17M

GOSHEN-Ari Roberts has loved tennis ever since he started playing with his dad in the eighth grade. But along the way he realized he loves teaching even more than playing. He started his own tennis camp the first summer after graduating from college. He has taught some of the best young players, including John Satkowski of Campbell Hall, the state consolation winner, and Alex Sipilief of Minisink, ranked in the under 16s in the United States Tennis Association. Both were taught by other tennis pros before coming to Roberts for instruction. It was his students who suggested Roberts found his own tennis facility. His parents, Bruce and Marsha Roberts, agreed it was a good idea. They had in mind a single tennis court. But the idea took off. Roberts next looked into putting up an air bubble in the Chester Industrial Park. His final plan is a 75,000-square-foot, $6 million, split-level sports complex on 10.5 acres on Route 17M in Goshen. The complex, named MatchPoint Sports at SportZone, will offer the public a range of opportunities to get moving. In addition to four indoor and four outdoor tennis courts, the complex will include a full-size indoor soccer field on artificial turf, three indoor basketball courts, an indoor roller hockey rink, courts for volleyball and lacrosse, and fields for flag football and field hockey. Straub's will open a fitness center in the complex. An Olympic-length outdoor swimming pool will be ready by next summer. A second level for spectators will also be added next. The rest of the complex will open this December. Roberts said he wanted to make the complex affordable to use. He does not have a final price list ready yet, but said parents will be able to drop off their kids for $8 to $12 a session for most programs. Memberships will also be available. MatchPoint will offer a combination of informal and structured play. For example, there will be time in the rink for free skates as well as for tournaments played by leagues. A schedule will allow time for swimmers doing laps and for swimmers who want to just splash around. There will be a director for each sport, along with clinics for every age and skill level. The completed complex will include a café and 1,500-square-foot program room that can be rented out for birthday parties and corporate events. The pool will be surrounded by a patio complete with refreshment stand. There will also be a pro-shop on site and locker rooms and showers. Roberts grew up in Monroe and graduated from Monroe-Woodbury High School in 1997. His investors include his parents and two of his students. The project has been financed by Hudson United Bank, the Small Business Administration, and the New York Business Counseling Corporation. Business counseling was provided by Al Randzin of the Mid-Hudson Small Business Development Center. The architect for the project is Harry Pharr and Associates. Storm King Contracting will do the construction.