The two tennis courts just south of W. Caroline Street and to the east of the Shiawassee River in downtown Fenton are expected to be relocated to Bush Park.
OHM Advisors, the city’s engineers, are surveying the parcel where the tennis courts are located for redevelopment.
The large parking lot behind the Fenton Community & Cultural Center at 150 S. LeRoy Street also is being surveyed. Redevelopment of this parking lot could result in a parking deck for additional parking.
These topics were discussed at the DDA meeting in February and the DDA board approved $17,000 in surveying costs.
Michael Hart, assistant city manager and DDA executive director, said that for more parking behind the community center they could opt for an improved surface lot or for substantially more money, they could opt for a parking deck, where maintenance costs for the future would increase significantly. “We shall see how things go over the next number of months as it all plays out,” he said.
Hart said the existing tennis courts, which are between 20 and 25 years old, are at the end of their service life. He said the city would like to rebuild them and add pickleball courts, but relocate all of them to Bush Park.
Relocating the courts to Bush Park could strengthen the offerings at the park off N. LeRoy Street.
Relocating the courts also could free up area for more parking spaces along the river. Hart said the existing tennis courts are located in a flood plain. The area would not be appropriate for structures, however, it could be appropriate for additional parking.
Hart said the cost to rebuild the tennis courts and pickleball courts at Bush Park could be pretty expensive, however, he did not have an exact amount at this time. He said the DDA could apply for grants but that process could take years. An alternative would be for the DDA to cover the costs. “It makes sense to have the DDA cover the costs,” he said.
Demolition of the existing tennis courts would be done by the city’s department of public works. Hart said they’d don’t have a timeline of when this will be completed.