GUILDERLAND — While the tennis courts at Guilderland High School are not new, they are not unsafe, Superintendent Daniel Mayberry said this week after the courts were evaluated.

A half-dozen parents of athletes had complained to the school board on Sept. 9 about the unsafe condition of the courts, citing falls and twisted angles as a result of “cracks, divots, and holes in the surface” of the eight courts, which are configured in two sets of four courts.

Mayberry told The Enterprise on Sept. 25, answering a series of emailed questions, that Copeland Coating Company, which the district engaged to examine and repair the courts, reviewed their condition on Sept. 12.

“Our tennis courts have not been deemed unsafe, and are open for use,” Mayberry reported. “The west courts’ life expectancy is estimated at about five years, with regular maintenance.”

This year’s maintenance on the east courts has already started, Mayberry said, and the west court maintenance should begin next week, weather permitting. This week’s rain, however, is delaying maintenance on both the east and west courts.

The cost for maintenance and repair this year is about $20,000, Mayberry said.

The district has not requested an estimate on the cost of replacing the courts, he said, because it is significant enough that it would have to be part of a capital project, approved by voters.

A capital project that was voted down in October 2018 put the cost of replacing the west courts at a bit over $601,000.

“I anticipate the replacement cost to be significantly higher than that estimate today,” said Mayberry.

After the defeat of the capital project and the fall of 2018, the school board presented a scaled-back proposal, which passed in the spring of 2019. That project included resurfacing the tennis courts.

Mayberry noted that, due to the work already done on the tennis courts, replacing them would not qualify for state aid.

Generally speaking, he said, New York state places a useful life expectancy on items like tennis courts at 15 years, which means state aid would be available only once within that time period. 

“Since both sets of courts have been redone to some degree within the last 15 years, any work or replacement costs would not be aidable and the full cost would fall on taxpayers,” Mayberry said.

At the Sept. 9 meeting, school board member Kim Blasiak recommended that the board look at the athletic program as a whole rather than focusing on just the tennis courts.

“Instead of piecemeal it, I’d like to hear a full report,” said Blasiak. “I’d like to hear from the parents of all the teams. I’d like to hear from the actual coaches. I’d like to hear from Dave Austin,” Blasiak said of the district’s athletic director.

When asked about Blasiak’s idea to take a wide look at athletic priorities district-wide, Mayberry responded, “As part of all future planning, athletics, along with all other district areas are reviewed for need and priority for inclusion in all future plans and capital projects.”