RICHLAND COUNTY, S.C. — New plans are being developed to fix Richland County's tennis courts after asbestos was found and cracks are proving to be a safety hazard.
Specifically, the Richland County Tennis Center on Parklane Road has wire mesh poking through the surface of courts and large cracks with weeds growing through them.
A couple of the courts at Parklane were resurfaced a few years ago. Tennis player Ashley Busbee will only use those, especially when playing with her young daughter.
"You don’t know what that glitter is and, in a world where we’re so concerned about what we’re breathing in, what’s that that we’re breathing in," Busbee asked when talking about the worn down courts.
The glitter she's referring to is a silver mesh that shines through the surface.
Susan Pence, Captain of her 55+ tennis team, said when they practice, a sparkling dust kicks up from the mesh if a ball hits it.
Pence said, "the surface has deteriorated so much that you see what’s under there. To me it looks like woven fiberglass or something. It shines in the sun.”
The tennis players' main concern is that the material could contain asbestos. The Richland County Recreation Commission has confirmed asbestos is under the surface of courts at Parklane, but insists they're safe to play on.
“It’s safe as long as it’s not being disturbed, and it’s not being disturbed at all," said Executive Director Lakita Watson. "It is not on the courts, it’s underneath the courts within the materials. It is not on the surface level.”
She added that they plan to fix the wire mesh and cracks soon.
"This work had not been done since the inception. There’s been some patchwork done but we want to come in and do it correctly which requires a complete restructure and resurfacing,” said Watson.
Before construction starts, Watson assured that they’ll safely contain the asbestos, so it doesn’t spread. Then they’ll smooth out the surface to fix cracks.
"I’ve had people fall, I’ve fallen," admitted Pence. "There are cracks, and it’s not level, and you trip over a crack and down you go!” The long time tennis player hopes the Commission smooths out the courts soon, so her team doesn't get injured.
In the meantime, many players have been going to other county courts, but they say the alternatives are not much better.
"Trenholm has a big issue with trash on the courts, vandalism on the courts, the lights half way don’t work," Busbee said about the park about 10 minutes down the road.
Watson understood the frustrations and explained that Trenholm Park is one of their oldest facilities.
"We have fixed those lights, we did fix the lights across the street, we put in 20,000 LED lights at Parklane, so we are working as we finish one facility our goal is to move on to the next facility,” Watson explained.
The Commission has a bid to resurface the Parklane Courts for $350,000. The plan will go to their board for approval on November 18 and they hope to start construction this winter.
Then, Watson said they’ll move on to the Trenholm Courts for improvements.
Tennis courts at the Commission's Hopkins, Blythewood, Caughman, Eastover and Meadowlake facilities are closed due to safety concerns, but they’ll keep courts open at Parklane during construction.