The heavily used Schoenbaum tennis courts are due for resurfacing, but the work can't be done without first addressing drainage issues that have worsened the courts' quality.
City Council's Committee on Parks and Recreation met Friday at the Kanawha City Community Center to discuss what should be done to ensure the public courts' sustainability in the coming years.
The committee voted to make a recommendation that the city publish a request for quotes to determine the best way to mitigate issues of standing water that seeps up between the cracks in the courts' asphalt.
Sherry Risk, executive projects administrator for the City Manager's Officer, explained the workers recently did core drillings, soil testing and water level monitoring at locations around the courts to determine what's causing the drainage problems.
Creating what Risk referred to as a "natural collection bowl," the soil composition that comprises much of the land beneath the courts "basically dams the water and won't allow [it] to go through."
On warm days, the water that's ponded beneath the courts rises up through the cracks in the courts as the asphalt heats up, she added.
"The courts act like a sponge that sits on top [of the water]," Risk said. "It just collects and can't escape."
The committee agreed an independent designer is needed to determine the most effective drainage system for the courts - or whether it would simply suffice to raise their elevation by a few feet.
"The challenge is, the grade on the back of the property sits lower than the creek and hill, so you can build a drain, but you have to take it somewhere," Risk said. "You're going to [need] a pump because the grade is lower than where you're sending it."
City Councilman Jack Harrison, who was listening in on speaker phone, urged the committee that time is of the essence, since the courts are used annually for state high school tennis tournaments.
"Whatever the process is, we need to start it now," he said.
Others were cautious about acting too quickly.
"If we're gonna spend three-quarters of a million dollars - which is probably in the neighborhood of what this [will cost] - I think we need to go slowly, methodically and do it right, and not need to redo it in a year or two," said City Councilman Courtney Persinger.
The courts were last resurfaced 13 years ago, Risk said.
While there's $400,000 set aside in the city's general fund to resurface the courts, that doesn't include the cost of a drainage system.
The estimated 12-week time frame Risk was given for the project also doesn't include the additional time of designing and installing a drainage system.
Committee Chairwoman Susie Salisbury said if the project were to begin this year, it likely wouldn't be completed until spring 2017.
Also on Friday, the committee received an update from City Attorney Paul Ellis about the city's ongoing litigation against Ohio Valley Spray Foam Inc., which installed spray-foam roofing at the Martin Luther King and North Charleston community centers in 2006 and 2007.
The roofing was insufficient, the city alleges, and led to severe water damage inside both centers.
Ellis said Ohio Valley has hired a second expert firm to inspect the internal damage to both centers. He added that the company hasn't initiated any talks about resolving the case.
City Engineer Chris Knox also announced that a dedication ceremony for the new splash pad at Magic Island, on Kanawha Boulevard, will be held at 11 a.m. on June 23.
Reach Elaina Sauber at
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