Lewes athletes disappointed with Canalfront Park courts

There hasn’t been much bounce in the step of athletes who traditionally utilize the courts at Canalfront Park. 

The park is home to two courts that facilitate games of basketball, tennis and pickleball. In 2022, during the week of July 4, the City of Lewes made the difficult decision to close the basketball and tennis/pickleball courts for a month in order for a new surface to be installed. 

Cracks in the old surface and fading lines prompted officials to contract ATC CORP to install a Premier Court System manufactured by California Sports Surfaces. In March 2021, George, Miles and Buhr recommended that mayor and city council accept the bid from ATC to install the system and replace the fence fabric, for an eventual cost of $151,365. Lewes Mayor and City Council were assured that the installer would be responsible for any dead spots.

Parks and Marina Manager Janet Reeves explained that the new surface is a floating mat system installed over the existing asphalt court.

Lewes residents Ann Reed and Dave Beck each took time in 2021 to explain to officials that the proposed surface would create dead spots, and it is not a usable surface for pickleball. 

“It’s a soft surface; the ball doesn’t bounce as it does on other courts. It does bounce and you can adjust to it after a while,” Beck explained. “It’s still not a true bounce that we’re used to in other courts.”

Beck said he became familiar with the issues when a Premier Court System was installed at The Peninsula. A former council member asked Beck for his opinion on the surface. 

“It’s not just random dead spots on the courts. Where there is a seam between the rolls of fabric laid down, the full length of that seam is dead to pickleballs,” Beck said.

Reed believes the City of Lewes should begin fixing the courts now; she said the higher-priced surface came with a warranty, and taxpayer dollars are being wasted by not requiring the installer to make corrections. The city is trusting the contractor's word that the surface will improve over time. 

“The system is not glued down and therefore needs time to conform to the subsurface,” Reeves said. ”This is one of the reasons why the installation was scheduled when temperatures are 80 degrees and rising.”

Unfortunately, sectioning off problematic areas and replacing them, or gluing the surface down would void the warranty, according to Reeves. She said materials may take up to 12 months to completely conform to the base, and as the temperature warms, the surface results should improve. The city is withholding the remaining payment of $30,057 until officials are satisfied with the surface.

Tim Bane, a Delaware Senior Olympics gold medalist, and his wife Diane said they used to frequently join a large contingent of pickleball players at the Canalfront Park courts, among other area venues, but since the resurfacing, the park courts are no longer part of the rotation. 

“What better way to spend the day than bike to the courts, play some pickleball, and enjoy some beverages and eats afterward?” Tim said.

In 2017, following his gold and silver medals at the Senior Olympics, Tim underwent knee surgery. One of the primary benefits of pickleball is that it allows participants to remain active without placing too much strain on their bodies. A large demographic in the pickleball community is older folks who may have injuries or are feeling the effects of aging.

Tim said the contractor should be held accountable for the problems before it’s too late.

Basketball courts and lighting

Improvements to the basketball court went beyond resurfacing, with upgrades to the backboards, rims and nets. Sean Belknap said these are an improvement over previous conditions, but he has noticed dead spots.

“When a ball hits one of those dead spots, you lose your dribble, because the ball isn’t bouncing to a height you’re used to,” Belknap said

The lighting at Canalfront Park has also been changed. Reeves said the lights are on a timer, but the electrical box has been tampered with and the timer is not working correctly.

“This leads to people turning the lights on and leaving them on all night. Currently, the maintenance department is researching a solution to install a more secure box that cannot be tampered with,” Reeves said.