Waynesville plans to repair the six cracked and aging tennis courts in its recreation park, as long as the local tennis community chips in.

The town board authorized the Waynesville Park and Recreation Department to spend about $50,000 to resurface the courts, which will add five to seven years onto their useable life. However, it came with one condition. The Waynesville Tennis Association had to raise enough money to cover 10 percent of the cost, which was easily said and done.

The association meet its $5,000 goal in nine days, said Linda O’Neil who has advocated for the project on behalf of area tennis players. 

With that secured, the town can now bid out the project, which will include pressure washing the courts, patching holes deeper than one-eighth of an inch, installing a fiberglass membrane over cracks, seal the courts with acrylic resurfacer and repaint the court lines.

Once finished, O’Neil said she hopes to get more young people playing tennis on the courts.

“My goal is to get the kids out there,” said O’Neil, who is a former cardiac surgery nurse. “It’s all about the health of the kids.”

— Caitlin Bowling