Sparta Area Schools built eight concrete outdoor tennis courts at the high school, as part of an overhaul of the athletics facilities.
The tennis court project won this year’s national award for Top Outdoor Tennis Facilty from the American Sports Builders Association.
A team from GMB Architecture and Engineering led the project. Executive Vice President Tim Gerrits says it was special for several reasons, including that they had to design tennis courts on hills.
“We kind of tiered all these courts and created some really great user spaces and viewing spaces by using that grade and tiering those courts. So a challenging build but in the end it turned out really awesome.”
Designers wanted to encourage people to move throughout the complex, placing courts along a central walkway. There are tiered built-in seats and portable bleachers, and it's all ADA accessible.
“We were trying to create a facility that is not only a competitive space built to a high standard but we’re creating a community space for people to gather and enjoy.”
The project was part of a $58.6 million dollar bond passed in 2016.
