Knoch board considers adding new tennis courts to renovation
JEFFERSON TWP — The Knoch School District Board of Directors pondered details for ongoing and potential renovation projects at its Wednesday, Jan. 8 meeting.
The school board heard presentations from Eckles Construction Services and architecture firm DRAW Collective on updates and recent change orders for the high school renovation project, as well as a potential overhaul of the school’s tennis courts that has not been included in the renovation project.
The tennis courts, which sit south of the high school and middle school complex, are practically unusable, according to school board president Donna Eakin.
“It’s in disrepair, really from the corner of the track to right where the concessions stand is. It’s wavy and bumpy,” Foley said.
Based on designs presented by Tricia Monaco of DRAW Collective, the project would included replacing all three courts with new materials, along with new bleachers that are wheelchair-accessible.
Eckles Construction president John Pappas said the project would include removing material from underneath the ground and building up new asphalt along with the tennis court material on top. He said estimates show the three new courts alone would cost around $100,000, aside from other aspects like the bleacher area
The board did not say when they would approve adding the tennis courts to the broader renovation project, if they chose to do so. Pappas told the board he did not think doing the tennis courts as a separate project would be a good idea, from a time standpoint and bringing in new services to worry about it.
“The code is somewhat driving how much concrete we need, how much we need underneath,” superintendent David Foley said.
Monaco said code also requires bleachers to have some sort of accessible seating.
The ongoing high school renovation project includes $43,216 of pending change orders for this month. As of December, total contracts for various services related to the renovation adds up to $20.32 million. The school board envisions the renovations being done at the end of the summer, in time for the 2025-26 school year. The total budget is around $39 million, according to previous reporting.
