NATCHEZ — The Duncan Park tennis courts are about to get a facelift, or at least that’s the plan.

According to Duncan Park recreation director Ralph Tedder, the courts will be resurfaced in the near future.

“The front four courts are full of shifts and cracks and have needed resurfacing for two years,” Tedder said. “It could get to a point in two years where they’d be almost unplayable — could become a safety hazard.”

Tedder said they received word in April from the United States Tennis Association that Duncan Park would be awarded $2,500 to resurface the courts in what’s called an “Adopt a Court” grant. Tedder said the money will be reimbursed to Duncan Park upon the completion of the project. However, if the courts are not resurfaced by December, they’ll lose the money.

The USTA’s grant is just the tip of the iceberg. By Tedder’s estimation, the project could cost between $15,000 and $16,000. To help fund the project, Tedder has first turned to the Natchez Community Tennis Association.

NCTA President Noreen Pyron said Tedder has sent her committee information and that they will more than likely meet next week to discuss donating some of this past weekend’s Cancer Tournament proceeds to the project.

Every year the NCTA donates a portion of the tournament’s proceeds to Camp Rainbow — for children who have been touched by cancer in their life — with the rest going to help fix the community’s courts.

While Pyron said the facilities at Duncan Park are “very good and have been kept up well,” she does admit it’s about time the courts get fixed and get a new pro shop.

“I think the courts aren’t in terrible, terrible shape, but if they go much longer they will be,” Pyron said.

Pyron went on to say she hadn’t officially discussed the proposal, but she was “sure” they would help fund the resurfacing to some extent.

The remaining difference between the estimated resurfacing cost and the current budget from the USTA’s grant and the NCTA may come from the public properties budget — which is a special account set up to assist in construction and one-time projects.

When told the courts are expected to be resurfaced, Natchez High tennis coach Amy Smith was excited to hear the news.

“I am very glad that they are,” Smith said. “It’s definitely needed. The facilities we travel to are above and beyond, it’s time they put some time into the Duncan Park tennis facility.

“When you compare Natchez to the other areas (tennis facilities), it’s embarrassing.”

One reason both Smith and Cathedral tennis coach Henry Harris were encouraged by the news is the possibility of hosting regional tennis tournaments with improved facilities.

“It’s hard to compete when you have eight courts and one shower,” Harris said of the current facilities.

Although the resurfacing of the courts is a step in the right direction, Tedder said there’s more work that needs to be done.

He called resurfacing the courts “Band-Aiding” until they have enough funds to enact the comprehensive parks and recreation plan, which would involve building a new clubhouse, four new courts and upgrading the lighting on the back courts to a collegiate level.

In addition, the four courts that are currently in the process of being resurfaced would be post-tensioned to match the four courts which were post-tensioned several years ago.

Post-tensioning, in essence, puts tension cables under the courts to help them withstand the elements better and last longer. According to Tedder, instead of having to resurface the courts every four or five years, post-tensioned courts can last about eight or 10 years.

Although there is no definite timetable for the courts to be resurfaced, Tedder said he expects the process to get underway once he gets the needed funds secured.