USTA representative says $63,000 grant will resurface eight Southeast Polk tennis courts

John Turpkash, a representative of the United States Tennis Association, told the Southeast Polk Community School District board of directors on Aug. 21 that a grant of $63,000 will be used to resurface eight tennis courts at the district’s facilities.

Turpkash said the funds came through a USDA-related grant program he has worked on with the USTA and that the resurfacing project is intended to make the courts safer and more useful to both students and community members. “You should feel very proud of what you’ve accomplished … they’re going to be great school courts for the kids to play on and take great pride in. But they’re also going to be safe for the communities to play in,” he said.

Turpkash identified Jason — described in the meeting as the district contact on the grant — and credited Southeast Polk’s girls’ tennis coach, Martha Merkle, for initiating the application. “She reached out to me … and I counted on her to write a piece of it too,” Merkle said during the meeting.

Turpkash said he has worked with the USTA for roughly 25 years and that the resurfacing should last about five years with appropriate maintenance. He asked to take a photograph of board members at the meeting to verify his visit to a supervisor back at his organization. A board member asked when the courts were originally installed; meeting participants gave differing recollections (one said the courts were installed around 2011–2012, another recalled they were new in 2016). No firm installation date was provided in the meeting record.

The announcement was made during the public comment portion of the meeting; the board did not vote on or formally accept the grant at that session. The district’s coach and the USTA representative indicated they will coordinate on next steps, but specific timelines, contract details, procurement steps or a project schedule were not stated.

Votes at a glance: The only formal recorded vote during the portion of the meeting in which this item appeared was a procedural motion to approve the meeting agenda. The transcript records a motion and second, followed by individual “yes” votes from Bridal, Chad, Kelly, Rick and Brett; the mover and seconder were not identified in the transcript. The motion passed.

Implementation details and timeline: Turpkash said he will work with the district contact Jason and coach Martha Merkle to move the project forward; no cost-share or procurement process was specified in the meeting. The source of the $63,000 was described during the presentation as originating from a USDA-related grant program administered with support from the USTA, as stated by Turpkash.

The board meeting record does not show further discussion, bid authorizations or formal district action on contracting for resurfacing at the Aug. 21 session.