MAINTENANCE REPORT - DALE O’NEILL & KEITH HERDMAN

COURTS

Throughout the last 12 months, the club has continued to engage Grassports to complete a quarterly maintenance program, which includes brushing of the surface with a cylinder and flat brush and inspection of the courts. This regular maintenance program is an essential part of managing the existing court surfaces that are nearing the end of their useful life. In addition, Grassports also treat the weeds on the perimeter, remove any vegetation from the playing area, check the surface for any areas lifting, identify any areas of the playing surface that require repairs and clean out drainage pits.

During the most recent inspection, it was noted a few of the base lines, particularly on courts 3 & 4, are starting to show some heavy wear on the centre tabs due to their age and use. Given the age of the surface (courts 1 & 2 were resurfaced 11 years ago and courts 3 & 4 were resurfaced 14 years ago) and reduced pile length (19mm when new, now as low as 4mm in some areas), a sub-committee was formed to commence a court resurfacing project.

The sub-committee obtained initial quotes to replace the surface across all four courts. An unknown factor for suppliers providing a quote is the condition of the sub-base (which is porous asphalt poured over the base of the old en-tout-cas courts) and the impact of the root encroachment from the trees on the outside perimeter. In several areas, the root encroachment has extended into the playing area and damaged the sub-base. Without removing the fully removing the existing surface, the extent of the damage is unknown at this stage.

As part of the court resurfacing project, the sub-committee also engaged with Port Phillip Council in regard to approval to replace the surface and seek financial assistance with the project.

GROUNDS

On 19th March a working bee was held at the club. It was a fantastic turn out and well attended by both Committee members and Club members that assisted with getting a huge amount of work completed in just a few hours.

Work undertaken included trimming and pruning, weeding, a good clean of both bathrooms and clubhouse (including the fridge and windows), removing excess sand from the courts, realigning the tiles, repairing the bench seats, painting the front gate and reattaching the windbreaks.