Crystal City will soon have renovated tennis courts, thanks to a $339,361 Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) grant with equally matching funds contributed by the city. The grant is provided by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks.
Crystal City Mayor Mike Osher said the work is expected to include a complete base repair with new foundation, concrete, netting, fencing and improved drainage. The existing seating and LED lighting is expected to stay.
Osher said the courts need renovation because the original foundation, which dates back to approximately the 1960s, has developed major cracks.
“Back in the day, they would flood the tennis courts in the wintertime and play ice hockey on them,” he said.
Osher said actions like that, along with normal aging, have made the courts difficult to use.
“It’s not even safe to play tennis on it at this point,” Osher said.
Osher, who is the Crystal City High School tennis coach, said he hopes the project will be finished in time for the beginning of tennis season, which typically starts in March. The Crystal City courts are home for the Crystal City and St. Pius X high school tennis teams and also are often used by community members.
“We have a lot of people who play tennis on the weekends there, and so it’s a highly utilized part of our park system that we just need to put some money in and maintain it,” Osher said.
Osher said once the renovation is complete, he hopes the courts will be used for events.
“I anticipate us having some tennis camps and stuff for the younger ages coming up once we have courts that are safe for everybody to use,” Osher said. “We haven’t had a tennis camp in a really long time.”
Osher said the current courts have temporary markings for pickleball, but the new courts will only be used for tennis.
“We’re trying to get another grant from USTA (United States Tennis Association) and for USTA grants, they have to be dedicated tennis courts,” Osher said. “I’m hoping this is just one step in the right direction because I would like to have dedicated pickleball courts along with the tennis courts. The first step is we’ve got to get these tennis courts handled, and then we can move on to dedicated pickleball courts.”
Osher, who got his start in government on the Crystal City Park Board, said the renovation is a passion project for him because it’s a recreational facility that can be used by residents of all ages.
“Tennis is a lifelong sport,” he said. “It’s one of those sports that once you pick it up, you’ll be able to continue through your lifetime.”
Osher said the city’s matching funds for the renovation are expected to come from its park fund and certificates of deposit set aside for major improvements.
He also said the renovation is just part of the city’s continuing investment in its parks, including large investments at Hickey White Park and at the Municipal Pool.
“My goal is as the mayor is to get people in our parks,” Osher said. “We’ve put some money into the pool recently, and we had record numbers at our pool this year. The goal is bringing people into Crystal City so they can play, shop and live.”