Webb Tennis Court Replacement Sent for Rebid
WETHERSFIELD - A project to replace the tennis courts at Wethersfield’s Webb Elementary School will be rebid in order for the town to consider proposals for a post-tension concrete surface, which has been recommended by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the provider of a $15,000 grant.

       The decision to send three potential contractors back to rebid was made by a unanimous vote at the July 21 Town Council meeting at the request of Kathy Bagley of Wethersfield Parks and Recreation.

       â€"They [USTA] highly recommend it,” Bagley said of the post-tension concrete surfacing. â€"It’s the longer life expectancy, less maintenance and it comes with a longer warranty, so there are a lot of issues.”

       The town’s initial bid request was for a bituminous material due to budgetary constraints, according to Bagley. Only one of the three bids were a proposal for this type of surfacing, with the other two coming to the table with post-tension concrete. The rebidding is being done for uniformity, Bagley said.

       â€"We’re rebidding it so that all of the contractors bid on the same criteria,” said Mayor Paul Montinieri. â€"It wasn’t a cost issue, but procedural.”

       The school’s tennis courts have been out of use for the past two years due to their deterioration, Bagley said at a previous meeting. The USTA recommended concrete surfacing when it performed an advisory site evaluation to determine whether or not the town’s design vision for the new courts might qualify for the grant, she said.

       The evaluation was conducted for free, and the town was eligible to receive up to $20,000--20 percent of the estimated $100,000 construction cost.

       The $15,000 in grant money the project is receiving comes from the national branch of the USTA. The town got an additional $3,000 from USTA’s New England branch, Bagley said.

       Bagley said that she hopes to have the new courts completed by winter.
MORE WETHERSFIELD NEWS  |  STORY BY MARK DIPAOLA  |  Aug 01 2014  |  COMMENTS?