Discarded location for NK tennis courts returns as new favorite of school board members

An option that was once discarded as a new location for placement of new tennis courts for New Kent High School has returned. And now, that option is becoming a heavy favorite among New Kent School Board members after the board’s May 7 regular meeting.

Superintendent of schools David Myers brought attention to the possibility of placing tennis courts behind the current high school towards the back of the field. While the superintendent didn’t favor the move at first, a recent visit on a Saturday afternoon has caused a change of heart.

“Tim [Pollock-Director of Maintenance] and I went to the site and we were surprised to see how many people use those fields,” Myers said. “That area has become a mini-sports complex.

“Cars were parked along the access road and it got Tim and myself thinking that moving the tennis courts back there isn’t as bad as we thought,” the superintendent continued. “After taking a few trips back to that location, it’s not as far as we thought it was from the school and it’s a lot closer than going from the high school to the current location.”

In February, Myers determined the tennis courts were unsafe for competitive play. Over that time span, he has been working with county administrator Rodney Hathaway on solutions to the problem. Conversations led to two original options that Myers spent the last month researching.

Option one consisted of keeping the tennis courts where they are located now, just off of Route 249 (New Kent Highway) and adjacent to New Kent Elementary School. While the site is easily accessible, future needs of the real estate, including possible trailers and parking to accommodate a growing enrollment at the elementary school, troubled board members. Despite an architect’s estimate of $244,000 to rebuild the courts in their current location, District 1 school board member Brett Marshall strongly voiced his opposition to the location.

“We need to build these courts for a 50-year plan and not a temporary solution,” Marshall said. “It may cost us a little more in the future, but you are going to have to invest in it anyway.

“We know enrollment at that elementary school will rise and as we said before, that area will probably be needed for trailers and for additional parking,” Marshall concluded.

Option two targeted an open field located at the front of the high school. That area currently is used for middle school football practice, as well as the shot and discus area for track meets. While the cost is higher than the first option ($323,000), Myers’ opinion is that the area is not aesthetically pleasing to his eyes.

“I don’t know how the board feels, but I don’t want people to come to the school and the first thing they see are the tennis courts,” Myers said.

Talks continued among board members and Myers, with the superintendent saying Pollock estimated placing the courts at the new location would cost about the same as option two with the trade-off being less site work, but electricity installation and possible maintenance to the road may be necessary.

All five board members favored the new location, with District 2 member Dean Simmons commenting on the main objective for relocating the tennis courts.

“Our decision doesn’t need to be made on the numbers, but it needs to be made on what’s best for the students and teachers,” Simmons said. “If we placed the courts in the current location, we would run into the same problem of erosion from the runoff of water from Route 249 to those courts.

“We all know that we’re going to need as much space for that area and if we add expansion to the elementary school, trailers can be placed where the current tennis courts are to accommodate the students if that occurs,” he concluded.

Myers added that Hathaway advised him that the Historic School is also being looked at for potential tenants, which may trigger more parking in the area.

“Since the tennis matches are away this year, we’re not dealing with as much congestion as we normally would,” the superintendent said. “But if we had home matches that started at 4 p.m., those schools and parents would arrive around 3 p.m. and occupy those spaces.

“New Kent Elementary School releases just before that time and at least 200 of those students are caravanned by parents,” Myers continued. “You can just imagine what it would look like there.”

School board members instructed Myers to develop cost for the new option behind the high school.