Tennis Court & Doornbos Track renovations begin soon
Post date: Dec 22, 2016 11:46:34 PM
The bond issue approved by voters in 2016 will fund replacement of the decrepit tennis courts at Bartlesville High School and resurfacing of the Doornbos Track around Lyon Field at Custer Stadium. The tennis courts project will begin in early January and will hopefully be complete before the end of the 2016-2017 school year. The track resurfacing also begins in January and is a two-week project that requires a stretch of warmer weather for completion.Click on an image to enlarge it
Tennis courts
The five tennis courts at the high school are so decrepit that the school is unable to host tournaments. The school board awarded a $875,880 bid to Merritt Sealing Company to replace the courts.
Demolition of those courts and two adjacent parking areas is scheduled to begin on January 3. Merritt Tennis Court & Track Systems estimates it will take at least 100 days, plus weather and other typical construction delays, to construct six new courts.
The new courts will feature walkways on the north and south sides providing access to a new seating area in the middle of the court complex. Wind screens on the north and south sides will feature the Bruins logo, and the courts will be blue with a green background. They will meet USTA US Open specifications. The bid came in low enough that lighting could be added on six poles, operable by a cell phone application and with an auto timer. The former lower parking lot west of the courts will become a green space.
Doornbos Track resurfacing
The old cinder track at the high school was replaced in 1988 by the Chuck Doornbos Track, made possible by a $150,000 donation from Doornbos family members Foster Doornbos and Ami Preston. Chuck was a track star in high school and at the University of Kansas. The family later contributed $33,000 towards the $266,000 refurbishment of the track in 2004, which included re-marking the track and improved its edging. By 2016 the track surface was worn out and needed replacement.
In September the school board awarded $20,345 to install a new polyurethane track surface. That work is slated to begin on January 4, 2017 and should take between 10 to 14 days for completion if the weather cooperates.
Superintendent Chuck McCauley indicated that by popular demand the new surface will again be Bruin blue.
The 2016 bond issue includes renovations at Bartlesville High School to the Phillips Field House, Bruin Activity Center, Custer Stadium, Doornbos Track, tennis courts, and some music areas in the Fine Arts Center.
