Editor’s note: This story was updated on April 3 to add additional details about contracts the city awarded to build The Courts at Glenville Lake, the timeline of the project, the total cost, and that issues related to construction were limited to contracts awarded to Apex Contracting Group.
Fayetteville residents toured the city’s newest tennis complex Wednesday during a public unveiling of The Courts at Glenville Lake.
The debut comes after a rocky four‑year construction process marked by a contractor accused of shoddy work and abandonment, fraud, a lawsuit followed by an ongoing audit by the State Auditor’s Office, and a criminal investigation involving state and federal authorities.
The First Look event, held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 730 Filter Plant Drive, drew families, seniors, and youth players eager to explore the 6,594‑square‑foot tennis center.
Inside, visitors toured the building that includes a lounge, pro shop, learning area, and locker rooms. Outside, they walked the 11 tennis courts—including a championship court—and four new pickleball courts.
Courts will be first‑come, first‑served unless rented for a fee, and private instructors will not be permitted to teach on site.
“Pickleball and tennis are huge sports for individuals, not just at an adult level, but at a youth level and a senior level,” said Kristen Daniels, the city’s coordinator of racket sports for Fayetteville-Cumberland Parks and Recreation. “It gives people an opportunity to do more of a low‑impact sport that’s good for their health and gets them physically active.”
Daniels said the complex is designed to support tournaments and school matches. “This gives us the opportunity to draw in outside tournaments and help support local schools that may not have tennis courts,” she said.
The new complex joins a broader network of courts across the county, including facilities at Tokay Park, Mazarick Park, Lakeland Park, Arnette Park, and pickleball courts at Massey Hill and Rowan Park. But The Courts at Glenville Lake—formally called the Mazarick Park Tennis Center—will be the largest and most comprehensive campus in the system.
Mazarick Park and The Courts at Glenville Lake are located next to one another off Bragg Boulevard. The park offers its own amenities, including tennis courts.
The building at The Courts at Glenville Lake is complete, and the final step—drawing the court lines once temperatures are warm enough—will clear the way for a ribbon‑cutting later this spring.
What Went Wrong the First Time
This is the city’s second attempt at completing the project.
In June 2022, the city awarded Apex Contracting Group, formerly Mohammad Construction, for $3.86 million for site work on the new tennis center complex. A month later, the city hired Apex again—this time for $1.47 million—to construct the Mable C. Smith Community Center. In March 2023, Apex received a contract for $1.35 million to build the tennis and pickleball courts at The Courts at Glenville Lake.
Also in June 2022, the city issued a request for proposal for the new tennis center building. No contract was awarded. The city issued a second request in June 2024, and in November 2024 the $2.57 million project was awarded to M&E Contractors. The tennis center complex also included a $1.59 million contract to Musco Lighting for court lights.
By early 2024, Apex’s three projects—two at the new tennis center and the community center—unraveled.
In March 2024, the city issued a notice of default for the Mable C. Smith Center, citing faulty construction and abandonment. Soon after, Apex walked off the tennis projects as well.
The contracts to M&E and Musco Lighting were not impacted, according to the city.
The city sued Apex and its president, Mohammad Mohammad, in November 2024, alleging the company abandoned the projects and committed fraud by using a fictitious bonding company to secure the contracts.
According to the lawsuit, Mohammad first used New Life Fidelity, a company he owned, which was not a licensed surety. He then switched to Wings of Eagle Fund, owned by California resident Ronald Batiste, which the city says was also not licensed and lacked the financial capacity to cover the bonds.
The bond documents were provided to the city before construction began.
A Cumberland County Superior Court judge later ordered Apex to pay the city $236,142 in damages.
The Courts at Glenville Lake cost $13.4 million, including $1.9 million the city paid M&E in February 2025 to complete the unfinished portions of Apex’s work at the new tennis center.
State Audit, Criminal Probe Continue
The tennis center is one of six city construction projects that the Fayetteville City Council asked the State Auditor’s office to review after repeated contractor failures. Four of those projects were contracted to Apex.
CityView obtained public records confirming that the auditor’s office agreed to conduct the audit. The city manager and city attorney met with the auditor’s office on December 10, and the city received an engagement letter formalizing the parameters of the audit on January 6—a document the city declined to release citing state law.
Mohammad is also the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation involving the State Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In November 2025, District Attorney Billy West told CityView he expected the SBI’s review to conclude “in the next couple of weeks or months.” He also told council members in a closed‑session video—later obtained by CityView—that Mohammad was suspected of using a fake bonding company in other cities, raising concerns about a broader pattern of misconduct.
Federal prosecutors joined the investigation because some of the alleged fraud involved federal money.
On Wednesday, West said the investigation remains active.
“I spoke this morning to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and to the SBI Financial Crimes for an update on their joint investigation into this matter,” West wrote in a text message to CityView. “The timeframe they gave me for any significant developments was 6 to 8 weeks.”
Government reporter Rachel Heimann Mercader can be reached at rheimann@cityviewnc.com or 910-988-8045.
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