MARIETTA – It was a warm and sunny afternoon on Tuesday that encouraged Dan Martin of the Marietta Area Community Tennis Association to practice at the Lookout Park courts.

Several lengthy cracks were growing in the surface of the lower courts, aided by the alternate freezing and thawing.

“A couple of years ago we used a sand mixture to fill in these cracks, but a lot of it sank through the surface and into the ground,” Martin said. “And there are some serious drainage issues on these courts.”

Last week association member Art Mendicino asked Marietta City Council’s lands, buildings and parks committee for some help to address the drainage and surface problems at the lower of the park’s two courts.

“Water pools in some areas of the court and gets into the cracks where it freezes, and there are other spots where we suspect water is pooling underneath the courts and percolating up through the surface,” he said.

City engineer Joe Tucker said in-ground drains surrounding the courts should be repaired. Photos of the area showed some drainage structures protruding through the surface of the ground.

“There’s definitely a drainage issue that needs to be addressed soon,” he said, noting that city crews could easily trench around the courts and do a proper french drain installation to carry stormwater away from the courts.

But Tucker said a tennis court expert should look at the courts and make recommendations on the work needed to keep the courts in good repair.

“The Marietta College courts are maintained by Total Tennis Inc., a specialty consultant and contractor from Columbus,” he said. “I would like to get recommendations from their pros and a possible proposal the next time they’re in town.”

Mendicino said the association would be willing to help with any work at the courts, and suggested members could assist in repairing cracks in the court surface if the city would provide the materials.

“They’re right, but we need to stop the drainage problem before we can repair the cracks in the court surface,” said Councilman Harley Noland who chairs the lands, buildings and parks committee.

Susie Joyce, the city’s recreation clerk, said a city crew has already begun work on the drainage problem areas as weather permits.

“We’ve also ordered a special crack filler for the courts,” she said. “We’ll supply the material and association members have said they’ll do the work.”

Joyce said the Lookout Park courts get a lot of use during the warmer seasons and are the location for association’s summer youth tennis programs.