In case you missed it, below is an update that Jojo Donetti, BCTA treasurer, sent out via email about repairs being made to both the Benicia Middle School and Benicia High School tennis courts this summer.
The message below is copied from Jojo’s email…
I wanted to share the news with you, that the BHS and BMS courts are getting fixed this summer! I met yesterday with Alfredo Romero, Maintenance Director for BUSD, AD Holden, VP Cole and new School Board Trustee Zada at the BHS courts, to review the plans
- The contractor (Black Diamond Paving) and subcontractor (who specializes in court surfacing) have been hired. it will not be the maintenance team of BUSD re-doing the courts…Alfredo and his team will supervise and learn from them, so they can do spot repairs going forward
- At BHS, court 5 where the mound is, will be dug up and filled back in. who knows what they will find under there??! As for the minor cracks, the contractor will use the patch tape to cover them. for the more significant cracks and holes, the contractor will dig those up and repair them properly. All the courts will be leveled as well (water test). Once those fixes are in, the subcontractor will come in to put the new court surface/finish on and paint them, blue with gray background
- At BMS, the contractor will also fix the cracks and level the courts as described above and lay a microseal across the courts. Then the subcontractor will apply the new court surface/finish and paint them, blue with gray background
- At BMS, they may be able to fix some parts of the fence but likely not rip out the whole thing and put in fresh. We are talking about putting in benches at BMS for parents to sit on outside of the courts.
- At BHS, they will remove the middle gate that leads to courts 4-6, as it is currently not ADA compliant and a bit of a safety issue, especially with the gate coming off its hinges on a regular basis. To make it ADA compliant, a ramp would have needed to be installed, which would have extended about 7 feet onto the court between 1 & 2, which would have become a hazard for players on those courts.
- At BHS, we asked about extending the back of court 4, so it would be USTA compliant. Given the ADA requirements for the walkway between the courts and the gym, it could not be fully done…..we would have only gained 3 feet for the court….so it will stay as is
- At BHS, they will make minor repairs to the fences, especially those areas sticking up and out
- The BHS repairs will be first, starting May 18th and going til June 18th. No tennis can be played on the courts whatsoever during this time. Our summer camps will start after June 18th.
- The BMS repairs will start June 2nd and should be completed by July 4th. No tennis can be played on the courts during this time
It has been 7 years since we started our fight to get these courts fixed! it is not quite the renovation we were looking for, especially at BHS where we wanted to completely change them, have them all facing the same direction, with a new shed and seating in between the sets of courts….but…the safety issues are finally getting fixed at both sites! Yes, this is being funded by Measure S money…not as much that was originally allocated but you never know what they will find while doing the repairs and if the cost will go up.
Thank you for your patience and your persistence, for speaking up at BUSD board meetings on behalf of the players and courts, and for your kids speaking up to the BUSD board about the safety issues that affect them daily!!!!
Can’t wait to play on the courts this summer đŸ™‚
Jojo