City wants school district to negotiate tennis court renovation

Planned repairs to the Laguna Beach High School tennis courts still can’t seem to get off the ground.

Council members Tuesday night indicated that they might be willing to pay more for a project whose costs have risen considerably since discussions began several years ago between the city and the Laguna Beach Unified School District, but not the amount in a proposed budget presented to them.

The council voted to have Mayor Bob Whalen and Councilman Robert Zur Schmiede meet with school board members and district staff in the coming weeks to try to come to a resolution.

Council members want the Laguna Beach Unified School District to front more than its 30% share — under a joint operating agreement — for the project.

The district has been sticking by its desire for post-tension playing surfaces on the five courts, which are used by the community and high school teams.

Supporters say that post-tension — which involves tightening steel cables embedded in concrete slabs — would prevent common cracking. The city maintains that a less expensive method would suffice.

The school district’s pursuit of bids for post-tension courts brought in a $1.8 million estimate that includes about $1.3 million for the concrete slabs and $430,000 to repair a retaining wall in danger of collapse, according to a city staff report.

In 2013, city and school district officials agreed on a $620,000 budget for post-tension courts when they renegotiated their joint-use agreement, under which the city agreed to pay 70% and the district 30%.

With the current estimated budget, the city would need to pay $1.2 million and the district $540,000. Costs rose because of a higher-than-expected price for post-tension installation and the need to reconstruct a ramp in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Councilman Kelly Boyd called the increase in estimated costs “ridiculous.”

“We would be spending more than $200,000 a court,” Boyd said. “We have other areas and other obligations where we need to spend the money.”

Whalen suggested removing the retaining wall, which would decrease the city’s share by $247,000, as a negotiation point with the district. The school board recently awarded a $30,000 design contract for the wall repairs.

The city staff had recommended bringing costs down by not going with post-tension and instead sand blasting court surfaces and fixing cracks. They also call for installing new fences with vinyl coating.

“The district would be pleased with any added contribution the city would make, because we’d all like to see high-quality tennis courts for the community and students,” Supt. Sherine Smith said Wednesday.

City and district staff agree on this: The courts are cracked, slick from wear and in need of repairs. The courts have not been resurfaced since 2008, in anticipation of a renovation project. The city had typically resurfaced courts every three years.

The district pursued the post-tension method despite the determination by geologists who performed a 2013 soil analysis that it is not necessary.

Parents of high school players favor post-tension, saying the courts would require less ongoing maintenance and the work would help create a tennis facility that could attract a United States Tennis Assn. event.

Structural engineer Paul Hamilton, father of a former Laguna Beach High boys player, said water collects in the surfaces.

“You have to sweep [the water] off; it gets an inch deep,” Hamilton said. “All these things can’t be repaired with cosmetic repairs. To fix the drainage, you’re going to have to take out at least half the court, maybe the whole court, to get proper drainage and a proper playing surface. “

Laguna, he explained, isn’t keeping up with competitive courts throughout the region.

“You go to any other school in Orange County and you have these beautiful courts that have proper drainage and are flat,” he said. “They have leader boards and nice fencing. You come down to our courts and all the balls are rolling onto the street. The fence is rusty. It’s a complete embarrassment.”

Mayor Pro Tem Steve Dicterow said competing interests appear to be in play.

“Their needs and our needs are different,” Dicterow said of the district. “We’re being asked to subsidize 70% of a much larger number because of their needs. It’s true the major beneficiary of this will be predominantly Laguna residents. At the same time, if we weren’t involved with the school district, if this were purely our property, our needs don’t require a higher amount.”