By Thane Grauel

WESTPORT — The Board of Finance has approved a seemingly hefty $554,000 appropriation to replace the Doubleday tennis courts.

The four-court facility (with planned inlays for pickleball courts) has been a fixture on the campus between two schools, which over the decades has seen several name changes, between Post Road West and Riverside Avenue.

Interim Parks and Recreation Director Rick Giunta told the finance panel last week the project bids ranged from $503,307 to $782,900.

“This was on the capital plan for 2026, but however the course deteriorated faster than anticipated causing their current closure,” he said.

He said the low bidder was selected for the project and the plan is to start work in late September and be completed in 12 weeks. The requested appropriation, he said, included a 10 percent contingency.

Mike West, parks superintendent, said the asphalt base for the courts had been torn apart by the “ground freeze, thaw basically tears apart that asphalt.”

He said that led to half-inch gaps, which is problematic for athletes, especially when sliding about.

“So, what we’re going to be installing is a post-tension concrete pad,” he said. “So, it’s going to be a big block of concrete with an extensive rebar system inside it, which will basically prevent it from moving in any way, shape or form.”

He said the pad would be guaranteed for 20 years.

“So, where we have been spending a fair amount of money trying to chase crack repairs around at a lot of our asphalt courts, this will kind of be something that will be ‘set it and forget it’ for a very long time.”

West said an acrylic surface over the concrete would have a 10-year life span.

Board Chairman Lee Caney had questions about the other courts in town, such as at Compo and Staples High School, and West said they are also asphalt-based.

West said those are on the capital forecast for replacement in 2027 and 2028.

Member Jeff Hammer asked about the spread in bids, and how it compared to previous similar bids.

West said it was the first bid he’d participated in, but that they’d expected something around $600,000.

“Coming in at the $503,000, lower on one end, higher on one end, I think it’s where we should be,” West said.

After another question from Caney about tennis court maintenance, West said, “I believe one of my early talking points around athletic fields was that the town was spending more money on crack repair on asphalt tennis courts than they were on fertilizer and seed on all of our natural fields.”

The board’s vote was unanimous.

The proposed expenditure will move on to the Representative Town Meeting, the town’s ultimate funding body.

Thane Grauel grew up in Westport and has been a journalist in Fairfield County and beyond for 36 years. Reach him at editor@westportjournal.com. Learn more about us here.