Defects found in NRHS tennis courts

New Richmond High School’s brand new tennis courts look like they’re 5 or 6 years old, according to District Administrator Morrie Veilleux.

The tennis courts were installed in 2010 when the school opened. It was soon discovered that there was an issue with the acrylic coating that makes up the outlines of the court, Veilleux said.

“We found hairline cracks last spring and we’ve been investigating the cause of it,” he said.

After several meetings with different contractors, school officials decided to hire a company to test the court for defects.

“We’re now awaiting the results,” Veilleux said. “However the initial review of the tests indicate the acrylic surface isn’t as thick as it’s supposed to be.”

In fact, the initial results show the acrylic’s thickness to be around three mils. According to specifications on the contract, the acrylic should be 7 mils thick.

“We put the companies on notice last spring when we discovered the cracks,” Veilleux said. “We told them we wouldn’t be paying for it.”

The goal is to figure out who was responsible for the error and to get it fixed after the spring tennis season, he said. It should come at no cost to the school district.

“There’s no safety concern and the courts are still playable,” he said. “It just looks like the courts are 5 to 6 years old versus 1 to 2 years old.”

If all goes as planned, the acrylic portion of the court will be lightly grinded down and replaced before students return in the fall.

Tags: new richmond schools, education