AGENDA #4c

 

BUDGET WORKING PAPER

 

TO:                  W. Calvin Horton, Town Manager

 

FROM:            Kathryn Spatz, Director of Parks and Recreation

 

SUBJECT:      Tennis and Basketball Court Renovations

 

DATE:             April 2, 2003   

 

 

At the Council’s February 19, 2003 meeting with the Parks and Recreation Commission a Council Member asked the staff to do additional research into issues related to renovation of the Town’s various tennis and basketball courts. The Council member specifically wanted to be sure that the resilient court system treatment proposed for the Cedar Falls Tennis Courts would be adequate to address long term maintenance issues.

 

We have proposed that the Council make $250,000 available through installment contract financing to renovate all of the Town’s basketball and tennis courts. The following is a complete list of courts needing some work in what we believe is a reasonable priority order:

 

Cedar Falls Tennis Courts: Two of the six courts been closed to play due to unsafe conditions, including large cracks and a poor playing surface. The remainder of the courts may become too cracked and uneven for safe use in the near future. We have shared photographs of the Cedar Falls courts with the company that manufactures the resilient court surface that we believe is desirable and asked two court installers to look at the facility and give their recommendations.

 

It appears that at a minimum some drainage improvements are needed at two areas immediately adjacent to the courts. The two professional installers that looked at the project provided different advice concerning how to proceed. One firm advised us to fill the cracks and use the resilient system on top of the existing surface. The second installer felt that we should remove the current asphalt surface and replace it with a similar asphalt surface. We would assign the Town’s value engineering firm to determine the extent of drainage improvements needed and to make a recommendation on surface installation prior to bidding the project.

 

If feasible, our preference would be the addition of a resilient court surface system such as was installed at Ephesus Park. The resilient court system consists of filling cracks and depressions with an epoxy material followed by the application of a carpet-like fabric. The fabric is then coated with an acrylic material. The resilient surface has a much longer life span than typical asphalt-based courts. In addition, the courts are easier on players’ knees. The Cedar Falls courts are currently in about the same condition the Ephesus Courts were in when the new surface was installed at that facility. We have received many compliments about the surface at Ephesus Park, especially from middle age and older players.

 

The resilient court system is more expensive. We estimate that the resilient surface at Cedar Falls Park would cost about $20,000 more than a typical asphalt surface if we paid the full cost. However, we have a credit from the manufacturer for the equivalent of one court of free material. If used on this project the savings would likely make the costs for this surface about the same as for a standard asphalt treatment.

 

Another issue is that better players tend to prefer faster playing surfaces than found on resilient surfaces. We believe that our inventory of courts should have both types of surfaces. If the Council agrees we would use the resilient surface at the 6 Cedar Falls courts in addition to the 6 already installed at Ephesus Park. We would use standard asphalt surfaces at the remaining 11 tennis courts, including Hargraves Park (3), Oakwood Park (1), Umstead Park (1) and Phillips Middle School (6). Because the Phillips courts were recently resurfaced by the school’s Athletic Booster Club they do not currently require work.

 

We would also perform a cost/benefit analysis on the benefits of purchasing the extended warranties offered for the resilient surface product. The court system has a 5 year warranty. However the warranty can be extended to 10 years for $675 per court and to 15 years for $975 per court.

 

Hargraves Park Basketball Court: We have received complaints that the Hargraves Basketball Court holds excessive amounts of water after rainfall. This project would involve resurfacing the court with a 1” overlay of asphalt and the application of an acrylic coat and new lines. Please see the related Budget Working Paper pertaining to the Hargraves Park Basketball Court for additional information.

 

Repair of Six Courts: We would repair small cracks and expansion joints at the remainder of the Town’s courts including: the Community Center basketball court, three Hargraves Park tennis courts, Oakwood Park tennis court, and the Umstead Park tennis court. These courts would not receive the resilient surface. Instead a contractor would hand patch any cracks and apply a new acrylic surface and lines.

 

Homestead Park and North Forest Hills Park Basketball Courts: The project would include completion of the Homestead Park basketball court by the application of an asphalt coat over the existing concrete surface followed by an acrylic coat, which would include lines for basketball. The North Forest Hills Park basketball court is in good condition except for the needed replacement of painted lines.