by Scott Sacry
The Stevensville High School tennis courts are getting a makeover this summer thanks to the fundraising efforts of the S.T.A.R.S. (Supporting The Arts, Recreation, and Sports) Foundation, a nonprofit, Stevensville-based community group.
The Stevensville tennis courts have been in poor shape for a number of years. As a result, the Stevensville High School tennis team hasn’t been able to host home matches, and players have had to evade massive cracks during practices.
Enter the S.T.A.R.S. Foundation. The group’s goal is to support arts, sports, and recreation in Stevensville, and fixing the tennis courts was at the top of their list of projects to fund. They wanted the school to be able to bring tennis meets and practices back to the campus and the community, and they have been raising money for the project for years.
The foundation is happy to finally be breaking ground.
“It feels surreal to finally make movement,” said Lori Lewis, a foundation member. “Watching the transformation is a feeling of success from many hours of hard work. We can’t wait to see the pride and smiles of our student athletes in the spring when they are able to play on the beautiful courts. These facilities are also available to community members during non-school hours. Everyone can now enjoy a place to play tennis or pickleball all summer long.”
Tennis court construction
The high school tennis courts, which are located off Phillips Street next to the football field, are currently in the process of being resurfaced. The foundation originally planned to totally redo the courts, but the cost was too much, so they opted for resurfacing.
The $230,063 court renovation project will begin with removing the existing fence, net posts, and nets to make way for a new asphalt overlay. Once paved, crew members will install new post sleeves, reinstall the chain-link fencing, and add north and south entry gates for convenient access. To finish, the courts will receive an acrylic resurfacer, two coats of traditional red and green color, updated line striping (including two courts dedicated to pickleball), and brand-new nets.
The construction is currently in a two-week curing process. Once the surface has cured, the surface color and lines will be added, and the courts are set to be complete before school starts.
The area surrounding the courts will also be improved, which will include concrete slabs at all entrances, decorative rock around the perimeter of the courts for easy walking, and a slab for portable bleachers. The Stevensville grounds crew of Dave Haacke, Cliff Wallace, Pat Ahlin, and Tracey Blyton, along with Superintendent Jon Konen, have provided extra help as needed.
The S.T.A.R.S. foundation
The S.T.A.R.S. Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community group based in Stevensville whose members include Sarah Armijo, Lori Lewis, Renee Endicott, Heidi Yaskus, Steffini Olson, Jane Bigelow, MP Osler, and Mikayla Meier. Besides the tennis courts, they are currently raising funds for a modern paved track at Stevensville High School. Beyond this, the foundation intends to construct a Performing Arts Center for use by both the school and the community.
S.T.A.R.S. fundraising
The foundation has been raising money for large facility projects for several years. They have raised funds through yard sales, chili feeds, fun runs, a Hall of Fame Gala fundraising dinner, and support from a generous donor who provided a one-to-one match for their efforts.
The S.T.A.R.S. Foundation is also pursuing grant money from larger entities outside of the community. “We would like to invite anyone who is interested in helping with fundraising projects, grant writing, or able to donate monetarily to contact us,” said Lewis.
“S.T.A.R.S. is on a roll and would love to continue pushing for the goals we have,” said Lewis. “If anyone would like to assist in any way, time, funding, gravel, concrete, manpower, we will gladly accept. Please reach out to the foundation. There are banners at the track and court with contact information and a QR code. You can also send an email to stevistarsfoundation@gmail.com. Again, we are very thankful for all of the support to be at this point in construction. Thank you to everyone who has donated.”
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