The Big Bend Recreation Committee took another step forward on the improvement of the Veterans Park tennis courts on Monday

The Big Bend Recreation Committee took another step forward on the improvement of the Veterans Park tennis courts on Monday. The GBRC Council approved the bid of a local contractor to replace the damaged fence and added specific extensions in two courts.
GBRC executive director Diann Henderson said that the full cost of the fence and concrete expansion project will be borne by GBRC and will be fully paid from the project’s budget.
In the fence project, the board of directors approved Eldridge Fencing of Great Bend’s bid of $61,784, which was the lower of the two bids received for the project. The other bids received came from Little Giant Fencing at US$68,708.08. The bid includes the cost of the East and West Institute.
The project includes replacing all existing fences with black chain link fences and surrounding black mesh fabrics, including chain links, net covers, gate posts and gates on the east and west tennis courts.
At the West Court, this involved replacing all existing 10-foot perimeter fences, replacing the four-foot fence on the west side with a ten-foot fence, replacing the existing gate, and adding an internal 8-foot fence on the north side of the courthouse to facilitate The team and audience add a specific rest area, which will be added as part of a specific expansion project.
In the Eastern Court, this will involve replacing the 10-foot fence and gates on the north and south sides of the court; adding a 10-foot external fence outside the existing seating area on the east and west sides of the court, and replacing it with an additional 4 on the west side Foot internal fence and replace the existing 4-foot fence inside the seat on the east side.
In addition to cost, another reason the board chose to approve the Eldridge Fencing bid was that it provided additional powder coating options instead of vinyl coating. Assistant Superintendent Chris Umphres told the board that after testing the two materials, he felt that the powder-coated material could be better held and more resistant to scratches and peeling. Henderson recommended that the board provide a 15-year warranty for powder-coated posts. Henderson said this choice also exceeded the minimum specifications set by the board during the bidding process.
The bid for the concrete project approved by the board was made at a low price of US$30,392 from the local contractor Concrete Services Company. The other bid received came from Ramirez Construction LLC of Great Bend at US$43,200.40.
The cost includes adding concrete extensions for players and spectators around the court, and filling in gaps in the current sidewalk. It also includes adding an additional 10-foot-wide concrete expansion area to the new seating area on the north side of the West Court. Henderson said these expansions will also improve access to people with disabilities in the Eastern District.
The two approved bids also include authorizing Henderson to approve changes in the contract amount not to exceed 5% of the contract cost in the event that changes are required during the project.
The fence and concrete projects will be completed at the same time. Work on these two projects will start after the court’s new lighting installation is completed. The completion date of the lighting project funded by the City of Big Bend is November 1, and is currently proceeding as planned. Henderson said that the new pole has been installed, but the wiring has not yet been completed.