The Project Wide Advisory Committee has voted to spend $525,693 to fix a water problem causing courts to crumble at two recreation centers in The Villages.
The problem has occurred at the Rohan Recreation Center tennis, platform tennis and pickleball courts as well as the tennis courts at the Burnsed Recreation Center. Those sports courts have been closed for many months.
During a routine inspection of the sport courts, it was noted that their asphalt surfaces had begun to develop cracks and blistering. The cracking and blistering had caused the asphalt to rise in numerous areas and become detached from the courts’ limerock base, leaving the courts unplayable.
Andreyev Engineering Inc. was hired to conduct a geotechnical engineering investigation to determine the cause of the cracking and blistering. The geotechnical investigation found the problem was the excessive moisture just beneath the asphalt court surfaces.
The high water table at those locations is at the root of the problem, Assistant District Manager Bruce Brown told PWAC members at their meeting Monday at SeaBreeze Recreation Center.
PWAC member Dan Ruehl, a Community Development District 9 supervisor, said he hopes the Developer is not repeating the same mistake by building more sports courts in areas with a high water table south of State Road 44. Those courts will likely end up under PWAC, which oversees amenities south of County Road 466 in The Villages.
“After we take possession of those courts, we could discover they were built in a high-water area,” Ruehl said.
Duane Johnson, who represents Community Development District 8 on PWAC, expressed a similar fear.
“Central Florida is notorious for high ground water,” Johnson said. “Most of the areas are subject to a high water table.”
He noted that he had to have a French drain installed at his home in The Villages because of a drainage problem.
Brown said the Developer’s team has been made aware of the drainage problems at Burnsed and Rohan. He said the Developer’s team was attentive and wanted the information.
PWAC members agreed to award the contract for the work to G&G Construction of Marion County Inc. which submitted a bid of $525,693. Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. has already prepared design plans and specifications for the work.
The new under drain systems will be connected to the existing drainage system to improve the overall draining condition of the sports courts.
The work at the Burnsed Recreation Center tennis courts will include the installation of seven 24-inch-by-24-inch trenches, installation of six-inch corrugated under drainpipe and installation of filter fabric and coarse aggregate.
The work at the Rohan Recreation Center tennis, platform tennis and pickleball courts will include the installation of 18 24-inch-by-24-inch trenches, installation of six-inch corrugated under drainpipe and installation of filter fabric and coarse aggregate.
The projects are being funded with amenity fees paid by residents.
