Many have noticed that the tennis courts at Harding have been removed. This is the result of their incorrect installation by the construction company charged with the task in 2003 when the school was being built. The courts weren’t deep enough to hold back water, so rain and snow kept getting into them and cracking the surface of the courts.
Unfortunately, the company went out of business shortly after they completed this project, so the school was unable to have the courts reinstalled properly. They have been dealing with the problems ever since.
Because they were installed incorrectly, water was able to penetrate the base and create constant cracks which not only interfered with play but posed a safety hazard. After 10 years of use and constant, ineffective repairs, the school decided to move play over to Grant in 2015. The risk to player safety was the major factor.
This past summer, the school invested $110,000--$50,000 coming from a generous booster donation--in the tennis courts at Grant. The project included adding a fifth court to replace the one removed when Grant was originally renovated and a complete resurfacing of the remaining four courts. A new, higher fence was installed around all 5 courts.
This sounds like a high price, but athletic director Mr. Kearns estimates that 5 brand new courts would cost at least $250,000. New courts would also need to be located somewhere else on our campus as the original location is too open to the wind.
The removal of the tennis courts was part of the larger project of removing the dog kennel house from the front of the school. Top soil and grass seed have gone down in the hopes of creating a large green space. At this point, there are no definite plans for this space, but Kearns knows that it will be a great place for cross country team camps.
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