Oak Park and River Forest High School’s cracked and pitted tennis courts are in need of “immediate repair” and would be resurfaced this summer as part of a plan backed by the board of education.
The cost of resurfacing the eight courts on the northwest corner of campus is expected to be $102,000, Fred Pruess, the school’s chief business official, told the board.
Board member Matt Baron called that price tag “reasonable.”
In March 2017, the board rejected a proposal from the administration to replace the courts. That plan, with a cost of at least $1.6 million, was put off as school officials launched an effort to craft a new facilities master plan after the failure of a $44.5 million referendum in November 2016 that would have built a new swimming pool and provided other facility upgrades.
“Unfortunately, within the past year, the tennis courts have deteriorated and are in need of immediate repair,” according to a report prepared by Pruess for the board.
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The concepts crafted by the 41-member Imagine OPRF group released April 16 did not propose changes to the tennis courts.
If the project is approved as expected by the board at its meeting on April 26, Nebraska-based Pro Track and Tennis Inc. would install a NOVA Sports Color Coating System on the courts to patch uneven surfaces and fill cracks, Pruess said. The firm will guarantee the work for five years, he added.
OPRF officials did not solicit bids from other firms to complete the work. Instead, Pruess contacted Pro Track and Tennis directly about the work. Because the condition of the courts is so bad, the project can be “considered an emergency” and the bid requirement waived, Pruess told the board.
Heather Cherone is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.