Hey all,

Peter Werbe and I met with Farhat Chaudrey (engineer) and Jeff Klein (Deputy Chief of Landscape Architecture) at the courts yesterday. We accessed the north court surface work done by their vendor.  

First, the work was contracted to be done on the south courts. They mistakenly resurfaced the north (wrong) side. The good news is that the city is having the contractor fix the south courts as it was their mistake.

We were all in agreement that although the courts look great, the vendor did not prep the cement as expected. Specifically,  grinding down and pouring a suitable self-leveling epoxy before the application of the slip-resistant surface paint. The crack and pop filling was less that appropriate.

The upshot is that Jeff will meet with vendor to discuss making better of the north courts and approaching the south courts (to make right)  in a suitable manner. He is telling them the court surfaces need to be ground down and filled properly. They will haggle over money and whatever I’m sure. Jeff will get back to me with the results of that meeting. I will update you once I hear back.

As soon as the south courts are resurfaced, cyclone fencing will be installed around the south courts.

Once the fence install starts, we will repurpose the mesh from the south to make the north court fencing higher (total 10’). It was  suggested to install a second shorter fence a few feet past the first to keep more balls from heading into the woods. We can repurpose the south T-posts for that. 

Other notes:

We plan to clean and apply a sealant to the stepped wall caps. This will remedy vegetation growth on those wall tops. We’ve also noticed seepage coming through and down the side of the walls at a few points. This deteriorates the walls themselves, and has caused new paint at the base to peal in a few spots. 

We’ll touch up the wall paint after repairs.

Stewart

The MHA was given an update today from the General Services Division (GSD) of the City of Detroit.

Work is scheduled to begin today for renovations of  the two south courts. Resurfacing: This will include grinding down and crack-filling the existing surface. Then a non-skid epoxy coating with gray colorant is applied. After that, 1-1/2" red service and out lines will be painted.

Installation of back and side fencing will also begin. This will be black vinyl-clad steel cyclone, 1-3/4" mesh. The 10' high backstop fencing will run the 70' span. Side fencing to create a U shape will be 8' high.

Weather-permitting, this work should take two weeks. The two north courts will remain available for play during that time.

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The GSD was renamed from the more familiar Parks & Recreation Department of years past. The GSD manages construction and maintenance  which includes the city's parks.

Hi all,

Courts are ready for play! Nick Morang, Peter Werbe and Stewart Shevin cleaned the courts and shored up the temporary fencing on Saturday, the 18th. There are leaves built up at the base of the fences. We'll clear those out at our next opportunity.

We will be given a key to the storage building next to the tennis courts (tennis courts are currently under construction). How that key will accessed is being figured out.

We have yet to hear back from the city as to when court floors and fencing will be installed on the south courts.

I suggest bringing a broom or better yet leaf blower when you come. There are usually a few leaves resting in the courts.

The City of Detroit was very impressed with the money and work the MHA members and friends put into the courts last year. As a direct result of that effort, the General Services Division (formerly Parks and Rec) has come up with funds to resurface the two south court playing areas ( 2 x 22' x 44’), and install an 8’ cyclone fence with black vinyl coating around the south courts. The city has specked a MasterSeal product for application to the court surface. They have assured me that we will be happy with the result. We are waiting to hear as to when that work will start.

As that back two courts are in good shape, this will leave us with four playable courts!

The court resurfacing we did to court #2 last year allowed immediate play. That work was guaranteed for 3 years. Admittedly it proved to be less that satisfactory. Given the city’s readiness to redo that court, we will take it as an investment and lesson learned.

For 2019 we are checking into -

- Painting the ceiling grid the same color as the walls.

- Install a door on the brick storage shed close to the courts. This could keep maintenance items and other goodies for ready access.

- Beautification to the court area (low height shrubs and annuals)

- Raising $$ for solar lighting (about 380 per unit). This is to allow for evening play and contribute to safety.