Tennis Court Closures Planned for Shaw Park This Summer

tennis courts will be closed for repairs this summer, but players need not worry: Several nearby St. Louis cities will make their facilities available.

On May 8, the Clayton Board of Aldermen unanimously approved a contract for the work with Vee-Jay Cement Contracting. It totals approximately $608,000 and will include:

• Construction of Court No. 10

• Installation of Decoturf II cushioned acrylic surface for Court No. 10

• Replacement of fences for all courts

Work is expected to begin as early as the end of this month.

The city ideally would have completed the construction work in June, but officials ran into delays while working with the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District, parks and recreation director Patty DeForrest said. The work needs to be finished in hot weather, and Clayton residents should still be able to use the newly updated courts later in the year.

"The fall is a great time to play tennis, too," DeForrest said.

Courts in University City and Brentwood will be available for free to Clayton residents on a first-come, first-serve basis, said recreation superintendent Eric Gruenenfelder.

Kirkwood also will host Clayton residents, though tennis players will need to use a check-in system and pay a daily fee. The city also has requested permission to use courts at Washington University.

Clayton plans to notify residents about the construction using its CityViews newsletter and signs.

Decoturf is being used for Court No. 10 to "address requests from players who believe the post-tension concrete is harder on joints than asphalt," a memo from City Manager Craig Owens and DeForrest states. "The USTA has not found empirical evidence that these courts are any harder on players joints; however, this treatment does afford additional cushioning. It is not widely used in the St. Louis area, which is why we are recommending using it on just one court. If this proves to be effective and desired, the city can do additional courts in the future."

Gruenenfelder spent about two years researching tennis courts ahead of this project, and he also applied for grants to assist with funding, DeForrest said. The city acquired a $232,000 St. Louis County Municipal Park Grant that will help pay for the project.