Schmanska Construction Update 5/25

Earlier this morning (May, 25^th) our contractors began laying the finish course of asphalt on both the tennis and basketball courts and part of the main pathway at Schmanska Park. After they have finished today, work at the park will slow down over the next two-to-three weeks while the asphalt cures. This will ensure that when they paint the new surface the pavement will be done releasing any gasses that could cause bubbling or keep the paint from adhering properly.

As always keep checking back-in here for more updates on the court reconstruction as we move closer to the end of the project.

Schmanska Construction Update 5/11

Construction kicked-off in earnest on April 30th with the removal of two collapsing catch basins and a stormwater pipe surrounding the basketball courts that had reached the end of their life span. In their place, the courts will drain to one new catch basin that will connect to an existing stormwater pipe carrying excess water from heavy rains to the City’s stormwater system.

Next, an asphalt reclaimer ground up the courts’ surfaces and mixed them with the existing gravel base. By reclaiming the asphalt on-site, we were able to avoid additional trucking and disposal fees while simultaneously creating an even deeper and more stable base.

The reclaimer grinds the court surface while a skid-steer and compactor follow to rough grade and compact the underlying base.

A layer of geotextile and an additional 6-inches of gravel were laid on top of the reclaimed gravel and asphalt to ensure a long lasting court surface. This last layer of gravel was then laser-graded and compacted in preparation for the first layer of pavement, slated to be applied tomorrow May 11th (weather permitting).

Thanks for your patience and understanding as reconstruction of the courts continues. As always, please be mindful of construction vehicles moving through the Park throughout the duration of the project and check back here for more updates and pictures!

Project begins

Construction kicked-off in earnest on April 30th with the removal of two collapsing catch basins and a stormwater pipe surrounding the basketball courts that had reached the end of their life span. In their place, the courts will drain to one new catch basin that will connect to an existing stormwater pipe carrying excess water from heavy rains to the City’s stormwater system.

Despite the wintry weather this past weekend, reconstruction of the basketball and tennis courts at Schmanska Park will be kicking-off tomorrow with a soil boring by the City’s Stormwater Department. Full construction will begin with mobilization of equipment and materials on April 23^rd. Our selected contractor laid out an ambitious schedule to have the courts fully rebuilt and finished by June 15^th.

Construction will start with the removal and replacement of the existing stormwater infrastructure next to the basketball courts. The current catch basins are caving in and we are working with the Stormwater Department to ensure that adequate long-term infrastructure gets put in place to handle the water flowing off of the reconstructed basketball courts. This should help ensure that the courts stay dry while reducing the amount of runoff directed into the nearby Centennial Brook.

Next the contractor will move out to the tennis courts, with a temporary construction road being constructed through the field to allow machinery to get across without getting stuck in soggy soils or destroying the grass. The construction road will be pushed as far east as possible to leave as much of the field available for use during construction. After the project finishes, the road will be removed and the area reseeded, restoring the field to its pre-construction size and condition.

The contractor will then then remove all the existing fencing, basketball hoops and backboards, and tennis nets. The existing asphalt and base will be recycled in place using a full-depth reclaimer and the base will be laser graded to ensure that they shed water appropriately. Once all the initial site work finishes, fresh asphalt will be laid for both courts. There will be a two-to-three-week period afterward where work will halt to allow the asphalt to off-gas before the final acrylic surface and paint are applied.

We will be posting updates here and via social media as the project moves along. Feel free to reach out with any questions and comments.