Courtesy photo Aerial view of the newly completed multi-sport courts and pavilion at Bay View Park, featuring basketball courts, pickleball courts, and tennis courts set against the waterfront.

ALPENA — The Courts Pavilion at Bay View Park’s Sportsplex is now complete, marking the successful finish of a community-led project that has transformed one of Alpena’s largest parks along the Lake Huron shoreline.

The timber-frame structure provides shaded gathering space for players and spectators at the multi-sport complex, which includes regulation tennis, pickleball and basketball courts. Designed by Michael Kendziorski and built by his son Spence Kendziorski of Legacy Builders, the pavilion features western red cedar framing milled from salvaged utility poles, cedar shake roofing and a distinctive copper-topped peak.

Ron Fusina, a board member of the Friends of the Alpena Courts, announced the completion in a recent email, calling the pavilion “absolutely amazing.”

“The craftsmanship shown by Spence Kendziorski of Legacy Builders is phenomenal and really was the ‘cherry on top of the sundae,'” Fusina wrote. He praised the father-son team’s dedication, noting that Michael Kendziorski spent countless hours acquiring and milling cedar poles, sourcing shakes and paneling for the roof, and overseeing the copper work – all without accepting payment.

“Michael Kendziorski is someone we should all aspire to be, as his name is synonymous with community pride and service,” Fusina said.

Spence Kendziorski, owner of Legacy Builders, custom-cut and stained the framing in his shop before assembling it on site with one helper. Fusina said the result reflects enduring local craftsmanship.

“The pavilion was built to stand for years, and the names Michael Kendziorski, Spence Kendziorski and Legacy Builders will continue to be tied to this iconic structure remembered well into the future,” he added. “Another keystone for our community.”

The Friends of the Alpena Courts also donated four benches inside the tennis and pickleball courts. Legacy Builders installed lights and power outlets in the pavilion as an unexpected addition. The city plans to add further lighting to the Sportsplex but has not announced a date.

Phase One of the project, completed and opened to the public in 2025, replaced aging courts with three regulation-size tennis courts, five pickleball courts and three basketball courts, along with new asphalt, LED lighting, fencing and windscreens. That phase cost approximately $340,000, funded through local donations, a $100,000 grant from the Alpena County Youth and Recreation Commission and other support.

For the full project, donations totaled $483,811.05. The cost, excluding the city’s contributions, reached $493,994.27. Amrize of Alpena donated more than $5,000 in cement for the pavilion pad. The Friends of the Alpena Courts covered a final shortfall of about $5,157.

“When I sit back and review these numbers, I am literally in awe of what we accomplished as a caring community, which I am so proud to be a part of,” Fusina said.

Fusina thanked the Youth and Recreation Committee, the City of Alpena for its financial and technical support, and all donors and volunteers.

“I believe it is something that we as tennis/pickleball/basketball players, along with all community members, can truly be proud of,” Fusina wrote. “Thank you all so much for your support, financially, physically and psychologically for making the Bay View Sportsplex a reality.”

The project originated from efforts to remove the outdated “Old Bayview” courts and build modern facilities. Some materials were salvaged from last year’s ice storm and the former park, echoing the design of the Kendziorskis’ covered bridge at Sportsman’s Park.

The completed Sportsplex has already drawn increased use and stands as a point of pride for Alpena residents.