By Brenda Erdahl
Maple Lake Schools will test the waters this year to see if there is any community interest in refurbishing the high school tennis courts into pickleball, tennis or multi-use facilities.
Supt. Mike Rowe brought the subject up at the Monday, August 14 school board meeting. The school has received $10,000 from the City of Maple Lake Park Board for the project, school officials have researched what it would take to make the courts into something the community would be proud of and now it is time to reach out to others.
The school is looking for groups or businesses willing to contribute in any way to the project. The initial cost estimate is $70,000.
The current tennis courts, located on the north side of the high school, were originally built in the 1970s in partnership with the City of Maple Lake, the Department of Natural Resources and Maple Lake Public Schools. The last time they were repaired was in the late 1990s, Rowe said. Over time, the surface has cracked in numerous places.
Pickleball is a popular sport right now, but the courts could also be refurbished into working tennis courts or multi-use courts that would be open to the public.
The high school tennis courts were built in the 1970s and haven’t been repaired since the late 1990s. The school hopes to partner with the community to turn them into pickleball or tennis courts or a multi-use facility.