The Barry Road Park Tennis Courts, located adjacent to Park Hill High School at 8299 N. Congress Ave., are probably the most popular courts for local tennis enthusiasts.
From recreational players and school tennis programs to tennis leagues for mature adults and tournaments, the courts are a great place for people of all ages.
But over the years, extreme temperatures have caused the concrete courts to crack. The city’s courts are in dire need of resurfacing.
The Park Hill School District, who has priority access to all eight tennis courts for its tennis programs, has entered into a funding agreement with the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department to help make the necessary improvements to the courts.
According to the cooperative agreement, the school district and parks board will each pay 50 percent of the project costs. Should the costs exceed $700,000, then the district would be obligated to receive park board approval for any additional cost sharing.
The district plans to use a Platte County Outreach Grant totaling $25,000 toward a portion of its reconstruction costs.
Dr. Paul Kelly, assistant superintendent for business technology, said the district will review all the construction bids next Tuesday. Once the contractor is picked, the district will work toward selecting a desirable start date to begin reconstruction.
The district wants to begin reconstruction before outdoor temperatures fall below 50 degrees.
“Knowing that we will have some challenges as the weather gets colder and the construction of tennis courts becomes more challenging as the temperatures drops outside, to maintain a high (enough) temperature for the concrete,” Kelly said Thursday to the school board. “We are really waiting on the negotiations with the winning bidder.”
To expedite the process, Kelly asked the board to waive the first reading on the bids, which was scheduled for Aug. 13. Instead, information about the district’s recommended bidder would be shared with the board on Aug. 13 at the next school board meeting.
Since the Park Hill’s tennis team will be affected by the courts temporary closure, district officials are making arrangements to conduct tennis practices and games on other courts in the community.
The school board unanimously approved the cooperative agreement for reconstruction and resurfacing.