The Eastern Pulaski School Board is considering the future of the schools’ tennis and basketball courts.
During a tour of the facilities Monday, Superintendent Dan Foster said the four tennis courts need some upgrades. “The concrete, there’s two-inch gaps in it,” he told the school board. “I mean, we’re not talking just putting down a coat of sealant and new striping. It needs major work.” He pointed out the tennis courts’ lights haven’t been used in several years and probably no longer work.
However, school officials say the courts receive little use, other than the two weeks of the year when they’re used by P.E. classes. School board members pointed out that the general public seems to prefer to play tennis in the Winamac Town Park.
But Foster said the success of the town’s new pickleball court has led the Winamac Park Board to think about the future of its tennis facilities. “They were considering putting another pickleball from the remaining tennis court down there because we had tennis courts,” he explained. “And they were going to say, ‘Well, if you really want to play tennis, you can go to the school.’ But then they heard that we might do away with tennis courts, and they didn’t want to get rid of all of them if we were going to get rid of ours.”
At the same time, the school’s nearby basketball court gets a good amount of use from the public. Foster presented board members with plans to replace some or all of the tennis courts with a multi-purpose court that could be used for basketball, tennis, volleyball, or other sports. But school board members pointed out that users would still be limited in what sport they could play, unless they’d be allowed to swap out nets, poles, and other equipment.
Nothing was finalized, but a few board members spoke in favor of keeping two tennis courts and adding a second basketball court. Monday’s discussion was part of a larger one about how to improve the appearance of that area of the school grounds. Plans include upgrading the gravel parking lot along Huddleston Road, burying the overhead power line to the concession stand, upgrading the lighting, and improving traffic flow.
