Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Facilities topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Geotechnical study finds water under Poquoson High tennis courts; district weighing repair timing and costs
Summary
A geotechnical study concluded water intrusion beneath the Poquoson High School tennis courts is causing repeated cracking; staff presented options to rebuild the court base and either patch for the upcoming season or schedule full reconstruction in summer, and said funding will be discussed in November.
Poquoson operations staff told the school board on Oct. 21 that a geotechnical study of Poquoson High School tennis courts found water infiltration throughout the pavement layers, and recommended rebuilding the underlying base with geotechnical fabric before resurfacing.
Director of Operations Mr. Roberts said the study indicates water is entering both from above and below the courts and that existing drainage features may be ineffective or lead to under‑court drainage that freezes and heaves in winter. The recommended solution is to build up the base to a stable subgrade, install geotechnical fabric and then reconstruct the courts. Roberts said the fix will be costly and the division is soliciting additional bids to ensure competitive pricing.
Roberts and other staff discussed two timing options: (1) perform temporary, safety‑focused repairs or patching to keep courts playable for spring season and complete full reconstruction after the season, or (2) attempt to complete the full base rebuilding and resurfacing before the spring season if contractors and weather conditions permit. Roberts cautioned that paving and base work are weather dependent and that applying a surface over an unstable base would likely fail.
Board members asked whether relocation of the courts is necessary. Roberts said the geotechnical team is confident a rebuilt base on the existing footprint can resolve the problem and that division property constraints make relocation impractical. He added that geotechnical staff would remain on site during construction to monitor settling and validate the process.
Other facilities updates presented to the board included: the PMS gym floor sanding and repair (in progress, ahead of schedule), completion of a new exterior freezer at the high school with interior work recently finished, progress removing trailers at the PES campus, and preliminary vendor and infrared scans in preparation for a PHS roofing project planned for next summer.
Roberts said the division will present a funding plan through carryover requests and expects to return to the board in November with more detailed cost estimates and a recommended schedule.
"The study shows there's water retention under the courts," Roberts said. "The solution is to rebuild the base and then construct the courts on top of it."
