Richland County CUSD 1 board approves $200,000 change order to reorient new tennis courts after safety concerns

The Richland County Community Unit School District 1 board voted unanimously to approve a $200,000 change order to reorient the new high-school tennis courts from an east–west layout to a north–south configuration, following public testimony from coaches, parents and sport-facility experts who warned that east–west courts create unsafe glare during play.

The decision came after about a dozen public commenters urged the board to correct the plan. "I would never advise anyone to build East West Courts," Michelle Cobble read from a letter attributed to the USTA Midwest facilities director, citing American Sports Builders Association guidance that true north–south alignment (or a modest rotation by latitude) minimizes sun interference and supports fair, tournament-ready play.

Former players, coaches and parents described recent local matches where low sun made tracking the ball difficult. "The courts need to be north and south," said Drew Mustin, the boys tennis coach. Logan Cobble, the varsity coach, said he had reconsidered an earlier endorsement of the original plan and now supported the reorientation "for the benefit of our players," despite additional costs.

Administration officials told the board GEO, the project designer, originally submitted a change-order estimate of about $279,000 to rotate the courts and later offered to accept design-liability and reduce that price to $200,000. The administration recommended accepting GEO's $200,000 offer and said the sum would be added to final project bills and paid from the district's capital projects fund, not the education fund. Officials said the district's one-percent sales-tax capital projects plan is on track to generate sufficient revenue and can absorb the expense.

Board members framed the choice as a tradeoff between safety and optics. Several members acknowledged the safety evidence and community unease but also noted the project's rising costs. The motion to adopt the change order was moved and seconded; the board then conducted a roll-call vote and recorded unanimous approval by the members present.

The move followed multiple letters submitted to the board, including correspondence cited from the USTA Midwest Section and an email from an IHSA official clarifying that while IHSA has no strict north–south rule, east–west orientations are uncommon and can impede play. Commenters also raised broader construction concerns about site preparation, drainage, material substitutions and long-term maintenance for the larger sports complex.

Administration said GEO's willingness to carry design liability and to lower its price to $200,000 made the change feasible. The vote instructs the administration and contractor to proceed with the revised layout; the board did not specify a revised project timeline during the meeting.

After the vote a board member addressed unrelated social-media accusations against the superintendent and outlined recent academic and staffing initiatives the administration has pursued. The meeting then adjourned.

What happens next: administration will incorporate the change order into final bills and proceed with design revisions and site-work adjustments required to rotate the courts; the record does not include a new completion date.