The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
TENNIS COURTS GETTING MAKEOVER
Lakeview Park courts were in dire need of face-lift
The tennis courts at Lakeview Park are getting a makeover.
The courts, located in the southern portion of the park, had fallen into disrepair.
Before the project started, the courts were lined with cracks and weeds and were essentially not playable.
A crew from the Lorain Street Department started work on the project in late September.
The project will be done in two parts and at the earliest, the courts will be playable again in spring 2022, city officials said.
“We’re putting in new concrete, and we plan on getting it resurfaced and repainted by the spring of next year,” said Mike Darmos, Lorain’s streets superintendent.
City officials wanted to get the concrete portion of the project completed by winter, and they are getting prices from vendors for the lining and resurfacing.
“It’s something we could probably do,” Darmos said.
“But, I want to get costs from professionals to come in and surface it and paint the lines.”
Currently, crews are tearing out the asphalt surface and replacing it with four inches of concrete.
“Once the concrete is done, we’ll seal it and then the new surface can go over it,” Darmos said.
The city will pursue grants from the United States Tennis Association for additional upgrades to the court, according to Mayor Jack Bradley.
Plans call for four tennis courts to replace four that have been dug up, although additional lines likely will be drawn on some of the courts so they can be used for pickleball, a game that is similar to tennis but is played on a smaller-sized court in which players use a Wiffle ball and paddles.
Plans call for four tennis courts to replace four that have been dug up, although additional lines likely will be drawn on some of the courts so they can be used for pickleball, a game that is similar to tennis but is played on a smaller-sized court in which players use a Wiffle ball and paddles.
Lining some of the courts for pickleball should make the courts an even more attractive recreation option for residents, Bradley said, especially among seniors.
“There are a lot of people that are starting to play pickleball that can’t play tennis,” he said. “It’s a little bit less intense and you play on a smaller court.
“We thought if we could get those courts in shape, we could get some pickleball players over there and maybe start a league.”
It does not appear at this point that the city would light the courts.
That’s because the park closes at dark, according to a city current ordinance.
“The mayor asked about that (lights) at a manager’s meeting, and the reply was the park closes at dark,” Darmos said.
At this point, the goal is to get the concrete poured, then the courts resurfaced and lined and new nets installed.
“We’re just trying to take it one step at a time,” Darmos said.
Bradley said he remembers regularly playing tennis on the courts as a young man.
“When I was 18 or 19 years of age, the courts were so nice and so well maintained,” he said. “It was really a showplace when people went down West Erie Avenue.”
More recently the courts have been a haven for dog owners who use the courts to exercise their pets.
“People have been using it as a substitute dog park,” Bradley said.
“We don’t want that to happen; we want these courts to be used for outdoor activities.”