By Dana Williams
The green asphalt has several cracks, which is causing sections of grass to grow through the crevices of the broken surface. The tennis nets have been removed, and what appears to be left of the fenced-in tennis court is an empty section of the school's playground field.
Now, Baldwin school board members have officially made a decision to do something about the rundown tennis courts. School officials announced on Aug. 8 that the tennis courts would be placed back on the district's demolition list. The courts were originally put on the list in 2004 as part of a $26.9 million bond project.
"When board members were completing the bond referendum, the courts were slated for demolition because they were in disrepair," explained Cristina Schmohl, the spokeswoman for the school district.
School officials' efforts to restore the courts began in 2004 after many Milburn parents and other residents expressed that school officials should try to rebuild the tennis courts instead of tearing them down.
"Community members asked the school board if there was some way to refurbish the courts by looking into grants, and the board agreed and looked into various grants," Schmohl said.
The decision to place the courts back on the list came after officials made several unsuccessful attempts to get funding for the refurbishment costs for the tennis courts. Schmohl said school board members even made efforts to get a grant from the United States Tennis Association - a not-for-profit organization that "invests 100 percent of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis," according to its Web site - but was unsuccessful.
"The Baldwin School District did not qualify for any grants, and it's been about three years now, so that is why the courts are back on the demolition list," Schmohl added.
The tennis courts are to be reconstructed as a field for kids to play on later this year. The surface will be rebuilt, so that it is safe for kids to play on it. "All of the asphalt on the tennis courts will be removed, and the fencing will be taken down and the area will be re-graded so it will be available as a field," said School Board President Joe Scannell. "The field will be put back to grass also, so it will be available for kids to play on as well."
Nicole Mack, a co-president of the Milburn PTA, said she could not comment about the board's decision until she learns the specifics about what is going to replace the tennis courts. Other members of the Milburn PTA, as well as Milburn Elementary School Principal Mark Gray, could not be reached for a comment by press time.
Comments about this story? Dwilliams@liherald.com
