Tennis, pickleball surface approved

The facility for one of the oldest sports played worldwide and one of the new, fastest-growing activities is getting an upgrade at Community Park in the village.

The Village Board this month unanimously approved upgrading its tennis and pickleball court surface for about $225,000.

More than half of that, nearly $119,000,  is for a new surface to be installed by C&C Courts Inc. of Oconomowoc, which uses Sport Court sport flooring.

The company takes a long-term approach with its surface, Athletic Flooring Territory Manager Alec Hartsuiker told the board.

“The biggest thing is now we have a durable surface,” he said.

The product comes with a 15-year warranty, but Hartsuiker said it’s realistic to get 20 years out of the surface before it needs major work.

Increased safety is another advantage, he said. The surface offers a 13-inch head fall protection height — a measure of how well a surface absorbs impact — as opposed to the zero-inch height for concrete and asphalt.

Tennis and pickleball players will come to like the new surface after they adjust, Hartsuiker said.

“Once they get used to them, instead of feeling like you got ran over and your knees are falling off and your ankles are sore after playing two games, maybe we’re getting four games out of that because we’ve got somewhere for that shock to go. It can go into the surface,” he said.

Maintenance, Hartsuiker said, is limited. Lawn mowers should blow grass away from the courts, and leaf blowers can be used to remove debris from building up under the courts.

The fully suspended surface can be lifted, and the base and surface can be pressure washed and reinstalled. Hartsuiker said his company would rather not do that work; it’s something village staff could do.

Each interlocking square of the surface is 25 centimeters.

The Village Board last month approved allowing sponsors to have their names and logos on the courts. Sponsorships are  $25,000 for tennis courts and $10,000 for pickleball courts. Village Treasurer Vickie Boehnlein said one pickleball sponsor already agreed to pay $15,000.

Village President Pete Anzia asked if the paint fades over time.

Hartsuiker said it will — “ultimately, the sun wins” — but Sport Court uses a marine-based paint meant for the outdoors and more ultraviolet light stabilizers than the auto industry.

Residents should get to try out the new surface this fall. From ordering to installation is about seven weeks, Hartsuiker said.

Installation takes about two days, he said, but before that the village has to do more than $100,000 of work on the courts. Public Works Director Dan Birenbam said fence work, ripping out the old blacktop and putting in new concrete need to be done.

The surfacing project leaves the village’s capital projects fund with more than $380,000. Boehnlein said in a report to the board that doing the project this year won’t affect the village’s ability to meet its capital needs over the next decade.