Tennis Court Construction | Photo by Kayli Thompson | The Wright State Guardian
In 2016, a plan to fix the groundwater chloride levels at the site of the old Wright State University (WSU) salt barn led to an idea for a new tennis court. However, this project was put on hold indefinitely after both the men’s and women’s teams were cut in June.
The project
At the site of the old salt barn, which stored salt used on campus when it snows, west to the Wright State Physicians Building, chloride from the salt caused the chloride levels in ground water to be higher than usual. Because of this, the soil needed to be dug up and cement was to be poured on top.
“Working with the EPA the university finally arrived at a solution that can be referred to as ‘capping the site.’ In this solution, some of the soil is removed and the site is paved over with asphalt so that future rains do not further penetrate the soil containing sodium chloride but rather drain over and to the outside of the blacktop around that location,” said WSU Director of Communications Seth Bauguess.
While Facilities worked on this project, the Department of Athletics was considering upgrading the existing tennis courts, located by the Nutter Center.
“Since Facilities had to blacktop the old salt barn site anyway, and since that location was about the same footprint as what might be required for a potential new tennis facility the Facilities Team reached out to Athletics asking if there would be any interest in laying the pavement out in a way that created a possible new location for a tennis facility in the future. Athletics said that seemed to make a lot of sense because the existing courts had fallen into disrepair,” said Bauguess.
On hold indefinitely
Over the summer, WSU cut three sports programs: softball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis. In response to this, the project for a new tennis court over the site of the chloride project’s pavement was put on hold with no current plans to resume.
“With the tennis team eliminations and funding challenges, it made sense to pause on the initiative,” said Javen Conley, Associate Vice President of Facilities Management and Campus Operations.
According to Conley and Bauguess, the project was still in the design process when it was canceled and no money had been spent on it.
“The idea never got off the ground,” said Bauguess.
The construction of pavement over the site of the old salt barn began recently and could still be the site for a new tennis court if the university decides to reinstate the tennis teams.
Tennis at WSU
A senior criminal justice major, Jonathon Yenser, says he would use the new tennis court if it were to be built.
“I would probably use it, especially now with nothing to do around here,” said Yenser.
Yenser also said that cutting the tennis teams came as a shock to students at WSU.
“I feel like they’re taking away a lot of the opportunities that a lot of the tennis athletes came here for, like scholarships,” said Yenser
Sophomore elementary education major Grant Sommer agreed with Yenser and said that the tennis teams were a big attraction to incoming students who wanted to play for WSU.
“It’s always horrible when a team gets cut. It always seems like other things could have gotten cut before a team that supports so many students, especially for incoming students. Having those sports is such a big draw to people,” said Sommer.
