By KYLA RUSSELL
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
WESTFIELD — Westfield Washington Schools will unveil their new state-of-the-art tennis complex next week, which will also be open to the public upon the opening.
The project, which totals $12 million, includes 15 courts and a team room with lockers, concessions, and restrooms. The team room will wrap up construction around December.
The complex sits across the street from the district’s intermediate school and is near the high school.
The courts are made with post-tension concrete to ensure they are long lasting and include an underground water retention system.
The new courts were built after the previous courts were unable to be used to host home matches last year due to flooding and deterioration. The courts used before were built in the late nineties.
“All of the courts are designed with post-tension concrete, so they should last for about 50 years,” the school district’s Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations Brian Tomamichel said. “Compare that more to those asphalt courts, which you have to always worry about cracks and refilling them.”
(Photo provided to WISH-TV by RocksMedia House)
Parker Gibbs, a Westfield High School senior and tennis player, is especially excited about the change.
“Just one last year of high school, new classes, new courts — obviously great too.” Gibbs said.
Gibbs fellow teammate and senior Jay Hostetter hopes the new courts will bring his team some extra luck this season.
“I hope we make a run for it. I hope we get past Noblesville, past the sectionals,” Hostetter said.
Longtime coach and WHS math teacher Tony Peters is also thrilled and says the construction of the courts has been years in the making.
The plans for the courts were first drawn up a few years ago.
“The initial plan was to put us off site somewhere and as the coaches, both me and the girls’ coach, decided we really want to try to keep it close to our campus,” Peters said. “By having it across from the intermediate school, we’re able to get fifteen courts here, which is fantastic, coming from having only ten across the street.”
The district’s teams will begin playing on the courts next week and will host their first scrimmage Thursday.
A community day at the courts, free and open to the public, will take place Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. Residents can play on the new court and learn more about the district.
This story was originally published by WISH-TV at wishtv.com/news/education/westfield-schools-to-unveil-12m-tennis-complex/