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Williamsport City Council approved a memorandum of understanding focused on making tennis courts at Cochran Primary School playable.
The MOU is between the city, Williamsport Area School District and First Community Foundation Partnership of Pennsylvania (FCFP).
The city and school district has historically had an unofficial agreement with city Streets and Parks Department employees doing minor maintenance and added nets at the courts, Mayor Derek Slaughter said.
When the administration began to look at the reconstruction and resurfacing of courts for tennis, basketball and pickleball around the city, Cochran was among the needs and, since then, the project has “grown legs,” Slaughter said.
A more formal agreement and the administration began to receive calls from individuals interested in donating toward Cochran courts.
More recently, the folks at Central Pennsylvania Tennis Center in South Williamsport enlightened the administration about a potential grant from the United States Tennis Association. The grant could be as much as $280,000, according to the meeting discussion.
If anyone is interested in donating to the Cochran tennis courts project, they should contact FCFP which will serve as a conduit and facilitate the donation process.
The MOU does not bind the city to any timeline to complete the project with the district.
The intention is to have courts with a surface similar to what is used in the U.S. Open, said Jon Sander, city engineer.