Cedar Falls, Iowa
The University of Northern Iowa, the City of Cedar Falls and the Cedar Falls Community School District collaborated to construct a new shared-use, multi-court tennis facility at UNI to replace multiple existing tennis facilities that had reached their useful life. The $1.5 million project includes nine post-tension concrete tennis courts (three lined for pickleball), court and site lighting, court fencing, site amenities, and sidewalks. The design required consideration of large existing oak trees and extensive grading in providing the preferred tennis court configuration while fitting seamlessly into the site with room for future expansion to a twelve court complex. New LED athletic sports lighting was provided to provide light levels on the courts that exceeded the standards set for competition play by the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES). To avoid nuisance to nearby residential homes, extra precaution was taken into design to have a sharp lighting cutoff. Additional pedestrian light poles were installed for new sidewalks on UNI’s campus that access the courts. The lighting system was provided with push-button controls to allow the public to turn the lights on for night time playing. The existing electrical system in a UNI campus building was extended to serve the new courts. The project was completed in the fall of 2017 under budget, allowing the addition of several bid alternatives (including court lighting, which was originally expected in a future phase of work).