Shepard Boulevard tennis courts undergoing renovations

COLUMBIA — The Shepard Boulevard tennis and basketball court renovation project has begun at a cost of $118,785. It is expected to be finished this fall.

The project includes laying new asphalt, re-painting lines, installing new basketball goals and nets and installing a fence around the courts. 

The renovation was approved by the City Council on July 5 and is funded by the park sales tax, according to the Columbia Parks and Recreation website. The contract for the project was awarded to Christensen Construction Co.

Mike Snyder, project manager and senior park planner, said the old courts have been demolished. They were more than 20 years old.

“The courts were cracking, and in tennis you need true bounces, so it was just getting hard to play there,” Snyder said.