HELENA — Changes are coming to the Kay McKenna tennis courts by the Civic Center in Helena. Currently, crews are cleaning up some of the landscaping, but soon, the city will have new courts.
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The courts have undergone many season since they were first built in the 1950s, like when the city inflated and heated bubbles in the 1980s.
The city has also covered the courts with asphalt and filled cracks over the years, but officials say the court condition has gotten to the point that a complete replacement is needed.
Only one court is currently usable right now.
A big reason behind the deteriorating court conditions is that trees were planted too close, and that has caused erosion and cracks from roots.
Starting in July, Helena will redo the base of the courts with post-tension concrete, which has a longer lifespan and is more durable.
This is the first court in Helena to have the pot-tension concrete done, and the city's typical tennis court surface will be laid on top of that.
"I think people are excited to see the courts finally being fixed," said Craig Marr, the City of Helena's parks superintendent. "They've been in disrepair for quite a few years. In the past, the city was able to offer pickleball and tennis lessons in the spring, but we haven't been doing that because of the conditions of the courts. In the future, we hope to provide those lessons again to the public."
Half of the funding for the project comes from the city's general fund, and the other half comes from the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Grant.
Weather permitting, the city hopes to have the new courts up and running in the fall.
