Fix It! The Courts Are Cracked
How long has it been since these tennis court surfaces were smooth?
Want to play a game of chance? Try these tennis courts.
The many cracks in the courts at Makiki and M膩noa district parks 鈥 some several fingers wide and as deep as one鈥檚 first knuckle 鈥 threaten to disrupt and alter the course of a rally.
“If the ball hits a crack it bounces erratically so you have a hard time hitting it because it doesn鈥檛 have true bounce 鈥 it totally messes up your shots,鈥 said Terry Hunter, who has played at the M膩noa park since 1982 and regularly meets friends for matches at the Makiki park, too.
The cracks also pose a trip hazard, he said.
鈥淚鈥檝e had to catch my balance many times and cursed it, 鈥楢hh, these cracks,鈥欌 Hunter said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen anyone fall yet, but I鈥檓 sure someone must have.鈥
There are four courts at Makiki District Park and five at M膩noa Valley District Park, with cracks spread across the surface of each.
鈥淚f the ball hits a crack, it鈥檚 a total game changer,鈥 said Robert Liu, who was playing at the M膩noa park on a recent Friday.
He and a friend had switched from court 4 to court 5 to avoid some deep fractures on the worn surface, 鈥渂ut it wasn鈥檛 really an upgrade,鈥 Liu said.
Liu, who grew up playing on the M膩noa courts, said he thought they were last resurfaced sometime during the pandemic, but have deteriorated again since then.聽
His memory was correct. The M膩noa courts were resurfaced in May 2020, said Honolulu Parks and Recreation spokesperson Nate Serota.
As for the Makiki park courts, Serota said the most recent department records show they were last renovated in 1998. Officials believe work has been done to them in the 27 years since, however 鈥渨e are unsure,鈥 he said in an email.
The courts at both parks now require more intensive reconstruction work than simply resurfacing, Serota said. A plan to convert under-used volleyball, basketball and tennis courts to pickleball courts has delayed resurfacing and repair projects, he said.
“The combination of maintaining the existing courts, while accommodating the growing community of pickleball players, does take time,鈥 he said.
M膩noa Valley District Park is first in the current queue of parks needing reconstruction, while Makiki District Park falls fourth, behind K膩ne鈥榦he District Park and Wilson Community Park.
Who Is Responsible
Honolulu parks director Laura H. Thielen, 808-768-3003.
Keep track of repairs or renovations at different public parks . Residents can also submit reports online at ; by email at complaints@honolulu.gov; at the city鈥檚 complaints line at 808-768-4381; or through the free Honolulu 311 app.
We Polled You About Missing Park Lights. You Answered.
And speaking of playing courts, an earlier Fix It! story about some missing court lights at Kauluwela Community Park in Honolulu has taken some interesting twists and turns.
Civil Beat had followed a tip from resident Anthony Chang who reported that nine court lights at the park removed in March 2021 still hadn鈥檛 been replaced. Chang has lived near the park since 2018.
On this one, Serota said there were no current plans or money to replace them. But since residents hadn鈥檛 been able to weigh in on the decision to take the lights out we published a .
Forty-two readers responded to the question, 鈥淒o you want new court lights installed at Kauluwela Community Park?鈥
A majority, 36 of the respondents, answered YES, while eight readers said NO.
We shared the results with Serota, who has yet to respond.
Got A Tip For Fix It!?
Please tell us where the problem is, as specifically as possible. A cellphone photo would be helpful. Here are ways to get in touch:
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You can send us an email at news@civilbeat.org. Put 鈥淔ix It鈥 in the subject line so it doesn鈥檛 get lost.
You can send a letter to the newsroom at PO Box 10857, Honolulu, HI 96816.
We won鈥檛 use your name without your permission but, if we pursue your fix, we will get back to you with what we find.
