Impasse broken over repair of tennis courts

Laguna Beach Unified School District trustees have tentatively agreed to drop their demand that a tennis court resurfacing project at the high school be performed using “post-tension” engineering, paving the way for the long-awaited work to be done.

At a joint meeting Tuesday of the City Council and district board, the two sides, after seeming at odds, appeared united in their approach to refurbishing five courts at the Laguna Beach High School. The facilities are used by students and the public at large under a joint agreement between the city and the district.

The City Council unanimously voted to support a resurfacing project that does not include post-tension — which involves tightening steel cables embedded in concrete slabs and is aimed at avoiding cracking — while school board trustees indicated they were willing to follow suit, though they opted to vote at their regularly scheduled meeting, Jan. 27.

The district had maintained that the more costly post-tension would pay in the long run, with less required maintainance and a longer life expectancy. The city had been unwilling to spend the extra money on a project that had languished primarily because of escalating costs.

Last week, representatives from the city and school district, including Mayor Bob Whalen, Councilman Robert Zur Schmiede, school board President Ketta Brown and Trustee Jan Vickers, met to work out an agreement.

And on Tuesday, city and district officials agreed on a tentative project budget of $620,000 that includes sandblasting existing surfaces, replacing damaged concrete, repairing cracks, installing new vinyl-coated fences with windscreens, and leveling existing slabs to improve drainage, according to a city staff report.

A failing retaining wall is estimated to cost an additional $430,000 to repair.

Using

post-tension would have pushed the project to an estimated $1.8 million, according to a bid received by the district. The cost included reconstruction of an access ramp to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act. A new ramp is not currently part of the revised project.

The joint-use agreement has the city paying 70% of costs while the district contributes 30%.

The courts haven’t been resurfaced since 2008, in anticipation of a major renovation, and tennis players and parents have described them as dilapidated.

Deputy City Manager Ben Siegel said the lapse since the last resurfacing played a major part in the courts suffering cracks and becoming slippery from prolonged wear.

Supt. Sherine Smith and City Manager John Pietig will develop final specifications for the project. Construction could begin this summer.

Any other improvements that may trigger Division of the State Architect review, such as replacing the shade structure and reconstructing the ramp, would be handled as separate projects, the staff report says.

While acknowledging progress, residents said they were frustrated by the time it took to reach consensus.

“It is a travesty that [the tennis court renovation] wasn’t addressed as part of the upgrade of [district] facilities with the bond issue we voted for [in 2001],” said resident Howard Hills, who suggested that the school district should have surveyed other high schools to learn how their courts were built and maintained to help speed up the process.

“We should have known what the situation was on the courts, under the courts and around the courts. The important issue identified here is who is responsible for the upgrade? Who is responsible for doing periodic maintenance and who pays for the cost?”

Currently, the district’s contractor is handling the courts’ day-to-day maintenance, such as sweeping, while the city handles most repairs, including replacing nets and light bulbs.

City and district staff “will be meeting to identify opportunities to improve the ongoing maintenance of the courts,” Siegel said.

*

POOL REPAIRS

In other business, the city and school district approved repairs to the high school pool that include painting all buildings and replacing the trim, removing locker-room floor tiles and installing concrete, replacing broken and cracked wall tiles and installing new sinks and lights.

Last June crews upgraded lights and replaced pool filters and ramp tiles to enhance safety, according to a city staff report.

The work came in at nearly $100,000 less than the original project budget.

As part of its 2014-15 budget, the City Council set aside the city’s share of savings — $70,000 — for improvements to the pool building to combine with $31,000 in capital funds for a $101,000 contribution for the upcoming work.

The district has already budgeted its share of costs for the $145,000 project.

Some improvements can begin this spring during normal pool hours, but the facility will need to close for other repairs.

Staff anticipates closing the pool for about 10 days in early June, just before the busy summer season.