PdC tennis court project officially complete
By Caitlin Bittner
On Saturday, July 11, the Prairie du Chien Parks and Recreation Department held a grand opening in honor of the completely refurbished tennis courts across from Hoffman Hall.
Before the door prizes were awarded, event attendees were anxious to get onto the court and start playing. Although the anticipation was high, Parks and Recreation Director Mike Ulrich wanted to take a moment to commemorate and honor all the people and businesses who helped make the new courts a reality.
“I’m always happy to have something like this provided to the community,” said Ulrich.
Park Board Chairman Tom Nelson called the remodel wonderful, recalling a meeting where a group of tennis players from the community came to ask for an update. “They weren’t even on the agenda,” Nelson laughed, happy to have been a part of the group to see this project through to completion.
Key players in the tennis court remodel included Midwest Sealcoat, Wolf Machine, the Prairie du Chien Public Works Department and Kati Forsythe.
Ulrich also provided a few statistics about the materials used to build the courts from scratch. “More than 4,000 pounds of sand were used. 650 tons of clear stone are underneath the [court] surface and 560 drainage tiles will help keep rain off [the courts],” explained Ulrich.
When the ceremonial portion was over, it was time to hit the courts. Three of the four courts, along with the backboard, were immediately put to use with players planning to stay into the afternoon.