Game, set, match. La Grange Park District, District 105 agree to renovate, reopen tennis courts

More than a year after he started a petition drive to reopen padlocked tennis courts at 53rd Street and Catherine Avenue in La Grange, David Wong is elated that tennis players soon will play there again.

Wong, who lives across the street, said Sunday “we were incredibly pleased when we saw the work starting to refinish the courts and we are excited to see people playing on them soon.”

452 people signed Wong’s petition last year to reopen the three courts. Some who live nearby, such as Wong, may have noticed workers on the courts in late June repairing cracks. The courts have been padlocked since July 1, 2022, in part because of a disagreement between the La Grange Park District and La Grange School District 105. But those padlocks soon will be removed.

“Our hope is mid-July,” District 105 Superintendent Brian Ganan said about when he expected tennis to resume. “[The new surface] has to cure and we hope to paint the lines. We want to get people out there playing again.”

In July 2022, the third of three consecutive 10-year agreements that had the park district in charge of court maintenance expired. The school district owns the courts. The park district board – citing other expenses – decided last year against renewing the agreement.

Without proper maintenance, the school district’s insurance company recommended the courts be closed. The insurer feared large cracks in the surface could lead to injuries and lawsuits. So the courts sat unused through the summer, fall and spring.

The two sides eventually came to an agreement that will result in shouts of “30-Love.″ A sizable financial boost from the park district is helping make it happen.

“We transferred the ownership back to the school [district],” said Jenny Bechtold, executive director of the park district. “We did give them $85,000 to help them make improvements. We wanted to keep the courts intact.”

Last summer, Bechtold said the park district decided not to renew the 10-year deal because of “limited resources.” Ganan confirmed June 28 that the $85,000 is being used for the renovations.

“It should, yes, cover just about all [of the cost]. That’s the goal,” Ganan said.

Workers from Midwest Sports started repairing the courts in mid-June.

“We were quite pleased because they weren’t supposed to start until mid-July. It was a nice surprise that they came here when they did,” Ganan said. After the cracks are filled “it’s almost like a new surface, so it should look really nice. You won’t see the cracks. It’s a very durable, long-lasting surface. That’s important to us.”

Last year’s sudden closure was met with confused players, rackets in hands, and outrage by many in the community as evidenced by Wong’s petition.

“We deeply appreciate the School District 105 and La Grange Park District boards and administration for making this positive investment in the community,” Wong said Sunday.

Wong said school board member Bob Sherman went the extra mile working on the project.

“His tireless research and analysis on different court repair and replacement options turned this into a positive outcome for all,” Wong said.

The school board “didn’t want to shut the courts down,” but its hand was forced when the insurance company deemed the courts a liability risk, Ganan said.

Bechtold last year said “[the tennis courts] are at the end of life and in need of a capital life cycle replacement.”

It’s been almost 20 years since the last time the courts were completely renovated in 2004. Regular maintenance can be “quite expensive,” she said.

The park district maintains four tennis courts at Gilbert Park and four at Sedgwick Park. News of the agreement to repair and reopen the three padlocked courts should be warmly greeted by the many tennis players often seen from dawn to dusk at Gilbert and Sedgwick parks except in the winter and when rain falls.

Tennis player Nick Bailey, who lives a block away in Countryside, was floored to discover the three courts padlocked July 9, 2022.

“It’s disappointing they can’t figure out some kind of compromise to keep it going. It’s going to sit there, be inviting, and nobody can use it,” Bailey said that day.

Bailey soon will be able to play tennis close to home. And many young children once again will learn to ride their bikes on the courts, play heated games of whiffle Ball or street hockey and run their remote control cars.