Wetaskiwin’s tennis court repaving is officially complete.
After being closed in early summer when work on the revitalization project began June 6, Wetaskiwin’s public tennis courts are now freshly re-paved and open for use.
The community courts which include four courts lined for both tennis and pickleball are open to the public during all daylight hours seven days a week.
The total cost of the project was completely covered by available grants and came to $220,000.
The City of Wetaskiwin says that the Canada Revitalization Grant covered $144,000 of the total cost with the remaining $76,000 funded through the Government of Alverta’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative Grant.
“The total cost of the project has been completed ahead of schedule and we look forward to the community enjoying it for many years to come,” said the city’s recreation program supervisor, Cal Zimmer.
The city states the revitalization was greatly needed given that the court surfaces had degraded and were no longer in a safe or playable condition. During the revitalization a Plexipave hardcourt surface was installed — the same surface has been previously used at prestigious tennis events such as the Australian Open and the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, California.
The hardcourts surface includes a three-inch base of asphalt topped by an acrylic resurfacer with silica sand and is covered with a sand-fortified Plexipave colour. This cover provides a uniform surface texture and determines the speed of play and traction of the court.
The new courts have an anticipated life expectancy of 20-25 years.
To help preserve the surface quality of the courts, the city is requesting users to wear proper athletic footwear such as shoes with non-marking soles, when on the courts.
