Who invented this 'three-ball' regulation?

     To the editor:
      I'm curious. In Las Vegas, who took the "public" out of Clark County public parks?
      It is my understanding that our tax dollars go to provide for the maintenance of public parks so that we may freely enjoy using them. I found out differently when I took my daughter to the Sunset Park tennis courts. We had to pay for the use of a public (?) park because the tennis courts are leased to a private agency.
      I want to know if there are any safeguards in place to prevent more municipalities from piecemealing out their "public" lands. What's next? The picnic tables? The basketball courts?
      I have an additional concern about the freedom that taxpayers just lost. The leaseholder now, evidently, has the right to tell private citizens what they can do in a public park. Right after paying our $3 for one hour, we were halted from going on the count with -- tennis balls!
      We were told that only three tennis balls per court were allowed. Apparently, the leaseholder may enforce his rules arbitrarily, because two courts already had grocery-cart-size baskets full of balls.
      When I questioned the "three-ball rule," I was told by Mr. Springer, "It is a Clark County park rule." So, we spent precious minutes of our paid-for hour chasing three balls, when another can or two could have made our time more productive.
      Since then, I have checked with the Sunset Park Sports Office. A person there said, "No, the county has no such rule, but since the courts are leased out to a private agency, call Mr. Springer."
      Along with the tennis courts, has the private agency purchased the power to enforce silly rules? Will a park ranger's time be wasted if citizens are in violation, not of county ordinances, but of Mr. Springer's own regulations? "Drop that tennis ball. Come out with your hands up! You have committed a four-ball felony."
      What a shame that in Andre Agassi's hometown, a 14-year-old girl on her high school's tennis team is not free to try to improve her game in a public park.
      Ironically, the Nevada Tennis Association encourages disadvantaged youngsters to learn tennis, while leasing out the public parks continues to assure discrimination.
     BEVERLY L. BRADLEY
     Logandale