As details emerge about the future of the tennis courts in Hampton Community Park, it’s becoming more evident how difficult it is to find affordable labor post-covid.

At the Oct. 25 township council meeting, officials voted to reject all current bids and create a plan of action for moving forward.

Additionally, many contractors opted out of the bidding process because they could not meet the initial timeline. Now that the project is being pushed back, it might attract some more competitive bids, according to officials.

The township has examined many potential solutions. Initially, officials thought it might be possible to simply fix cracks and convert one of the six tennis courts into three pickleball courts. That option was quickly taken off the table when bids came in as high as $397,000 when the township budgeted only $200,000 for the project.

“Our plan is to form a committee with members of staff/council and other interested parties, to revise the bid specifications and we will rebid the project in the spring,” said Carolynn Johnson, council president.

While exploring options, council was presented with a more affordable surface, of synthetic modular material that resembles a dek hockey surface. The Hampton High School tennis team uses the courts, though, and the proposed surface would not pass WPIAL or PIAA standards for match play.

Also, the surface has been questioned by expert players.

“We’ve learned that the tennis and pickleball players do not like the modular surface that we were considering, as it deadens the bounce of the ball,” said Johnson.

Disappointed that the project will once again be put on hold, Johnson is pleased that the township will not be sacrificing quality of play.

“We want time to investigate ways that we might be able to reduce the cost without sacrificing the quality of the surface,” she said.

In the past, council has mentioned investigating some ways that the school district might be willing to contribute to the project. No further information has been released about a potential partnership.