HNPEA’s new tennis and pickleball courts set to open by July

The Harpswell Neck Physical Education Association’s new tennis and pickleball courts at Fulle Field are set to open to the public in July, the culmination of a seven-year fundraising campaign.

“There will be a whole new experience from what was there before,” said David Chipman, president of the HNPEA Board of Trustees.

Tony Cornish, acting treasurer for HNPEA and site coordinator for the project, said on June 11 that he hopes to have the courts ready for use when HNPEA summer camp starts June 30.

The organization plans to hold a grand opening for the courts on July 19. From noon to 3 p.m., HNPEA will host an ice cream social with live music to thank the community for its support and celebrate the new courts.

The facility will have one tennis court next to two pickleball courts, reflecting growing interest in the latter sport. In addition to the new courts, it will feature more parking, with two accessible spots; new benches; and landscaping improvements.

After ripping up the nearly 60-year-old courts last summer, Brunswick-based Ray Labbe & Sons Inc. put down an initial surface that had to set for four weeks while Cumberland’s Main Line Fence installed a new fence. 

Next, Vermont-based Advantage Tennis will add the finishing coat to the surface and paint the lines. HNPEA is also planning to install a backboard.

Harpswell’s own Mike Webber Enterprises Inc. prepared the site and donated labor and materials for the parking area.

This summer will be the 60th anniversary of tennis at the site, as well as the summer camp for grades K-6. Every summer at Fulle Field, kids participate in tennis lessons, field games, arts and crafts, and activities put on by community members. Cornish said that when campers age out, many come back as counselors because they loved the experience.

Fulle Field is also home to a basketball court, playground equipment, and a converted chicken coop that serves as an arts and crafts shed.

Since October 2018, HNPEA has raised $183,240 to complete the courts, weathering delays posed by the pandemic and rising costs. Cornish said many of the benches they are putting in will honor donors and community members who were integral to the process.

“It’s been a long haul, but it’s good. It’s going to be a good thing,” Cornish said.

Cornish hopes to see community tournaments return to the space, recalling a women’s tournament in the ’80s and ’90s.

Once the courts are finished, they will be open to the public for free on a first-come, first-served basis. Chipman said the organization might start a signup sheet if there is increased demand.

As always, the courts will be closed during summer camp hours, weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. through July 25; and on Sunday mornings, while next-door neighbor Elijah Kellogg Church holds services. The church leases the land to HNPEA for a nominal fee.

“We’ve built this for the public,” Chipman said about the new courts.

HNPEA “was meant to have people being active and outdoors and doing things,” he added. “And that’s our goal is to continue that.”