Northern Lebanon school board approves tennis court renovations

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The Northern Lebanon school board voted 5-2 at the April 14 meeting to approve tennis court renovations for $395,825.

The work will be done by Construction Masters Services LLC. Leanne Martin, business director for the district, said $314,000 was set aside for the project in the 2025-26 budget.

Board members Martha Blough and Benjamin Moyer voted no. Before voting, Blough said she would vote against the motion because she didn’t approve of the budget, and therefore, didn’t approve of such a large expense.

Construction Masters Services’ base bid was $378,375, with an alternate bid of $17,450 and an extra day of work for accessibility paving, making the total $395,825. The recommendation document provided in the meeting agenda showed this was the lowest bid, with the other two coming in about $30,000 and $75,000 higher.

Brian Bingeman with Turf, Track & Court attended the meeting to give some background about the tennis court and the project. He said he initially came to the district in 2018 to look at the running track and the tennis courts, and they determined that the track was the priority. At the time, the tennis courts showed signs of cracking, but it wasn’t a structural issue.

In another review in 2024, Bingeman said the cracks were worsening. The last renovation or resurfacing of the courts was around 2005, he said.

“What we’re proposing is the total renovation of the courts — reconstruction of the courts. Basically, removing the asphalt, rebuilding 100%,” Bingeman said. “Unfortunately, asphalt tennis courts go through life cycles. I believe your courts have exceeded their usable lifecycle.”

He said that without a renovation, the cracks in the court will continue to show, no matter what they do. After some questions from the board, Bingeman said he expected the replacement to last 30 or more years with recommended resurfacing every 10 to 12 years to maintain the preferred court roughness.

“I encourage you to go down and walk it,” Bingeman said. “You’ll understand that it’s getting to a point where it’s almost not playable.”

Several board members said the tennis courts aren’t just for student athletes on the team. Physical education classes use them, and they’re available for the public, too.

“With anything that involves student athletes, we want to have the surfaces that are most conducive to fair play, competitive play, but safety as well,” board president Barry Naum said after the meeting. “We have taken steps to provide, if not state-of-the-art, very, very good facilities for all of our athletes. It doesn’t make any sense for me to carve out tennis and say that they shouldn’t get the same.”

Superintendent Gary Messinger said construction on the courts will start after the season ends, and they should be ready for use at some point in the summer.

In other business, the school board:

• Heard two public comments from community members who spoke against a possible 4.2% tax increase for the 2026-27 school year. They urged the district to cut spending and increase transparency.
• Recognized many of the district’s music students who competed or performed at a high level throughout the school year.
• Heard from the district’s FFA student officers, who thanked the board for its support of the program and talked about the experiences they’re gaining.
• Approved the consent agenda, the human resource items listed on the agenda, and the IU13 2026-27 budget.

The Northern Lebanon school board will meet next on May 5 at 6:30 p.m. for a committee meeting. The next regular board meeting will be on May 12 at 6:30 p.m. All meetings take place in the Northern Lebanon District Office Board Room at 346 School Drive, Fredericksburg.