7 Nielsen Center tennis courts will get a redo

The Winnetka Park District is serving up changes they hope local tennis players will love.

Park commissioners unanimously approved on Thursday, July 24, a $1.3 million bid with Chicagoland Paving Contractors, of Lake Zurich, for the reconstruction of seven outdoor tennis courts at the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Center, 530 Hibbard Road.

Costa Kutulas, director of parks and maintenance, said the outdoor courts are more than 50 years old, but most users may not realize it because of frequent maintenance over the years.

But he said all that maintenance, including adding coats of asphalt onto existing ones and multiple coats of paint, ended up making the root of the maintenance issues worse.

Recently, Kutulas said park district staff discovered “subpar subsoils” underneath the courts, which have contributed to moisture damage.

“Our goal and objective here is basically to start over, correct the subsoil issues that we have, and address the root concerns so we can put back a court that is going to be playable and enjoyable for the tennis program for many a year,” he said.

The plans, as Kutulas explained, are to demolish Courts 1-7 and rebuild them within the same footprint.

Peter Lind, with civil engineering firm Gewalt Hamilton Associates, said the project will also include measures to prevent future damage to the courts.

“Water (is a) powerful element here that we’re dealing with, and we’ve got to get it out of these courts,” he said. “Right now, with a clay surface, it’s going to hold moisture and so we’ve got to get it from beneath the courts and we’ve got to get it away.”

The solution, Lind said, is to install a flat curb around the barrier of the courts that will help hold them together.

Additionally, the project reportedly will include moisture protection measures, including a geothermal fabric and drainage improvement measures.

Lind also said that the “pitch,” or incline, of the courts will be changed. Currently, the courts are pitched toward the tennis center, but the improvements will change that so that accumulated water goes elsewhere, including drainage areas and toward the parking lot.

The plans also call for the removal of an ADA ramp that is out of compliance and replace it with a path that is level with the courts.

While the Park Board also approved a budget adjustment due to the cost of the project being higher than anticipated, Pat Fragassi, manager of the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Center, told commissioners that there may be grant opportunities available from the U.S. Tennis Association.

He said the district would have to apply for any grants, but there is a chance that, if all goes well, the park district could have the opportunity to receive up to $20,000 per court.

Commissioner David Seaman commended Fragassi on his leadership of the tennis program.

“We got to continue to invest in an unbelievable facility,” he said. “I’m fantastically supportive of this.”

Kutulas said demolition is expected to begin around August. The goal is to have the majority of the project done by November. After that, he said the courts will be left alone until around June, when they will be painted.

In addition to the court replacement, commissioners also unanimously approved a $188,000 contract with Musco Sports Lighting to replace the lights on five of the outdoor courts.

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