$420,000 Warwood Tennis Courts Open

It was "love" at first sight for tennis enthusiasts as a $420,000 court area opened to the public in Warwood on Friday.

Warwood has been without tennis courts since 2013, when the city of Wheeling began construction on a new water treatment facility in their place near Warwood School. Because the old courts had been built through funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the city was required to rebuild the displaced courts.

Four new courts are now located on property in the shadows of the new water treatment plant just off Viking Drive in Warwood, and money to pay for their construction came from Wheeling's water fund.

Work by Savage Construction included the demolition and construction of a block wall, grading of the land and laying the engineering fabric, stone and asphalt for the courts. The initial phase of the project cost about $320,000, while electrical work, lighting and poles added another $100,000 to the project.

Residents will be able to play tennis at night in Warwood as new LED lights have been installed on the courts that are operated by push-button.

City Manager Robert Herron said it is expected the courts will be well-used.

"When the courts were over there, they had a youth tennis program that was well-attended," he said. The instructional program moved to Wheeling Park.

Mayor Glenn Elliott said the opening of the tennis courts was a "tangible reflection" on the quality of life in Wheeling, and that the city would continue to make recreation a priority going forward.

Vice Mayor Chad Thalman -- who represents the Warwood area on city council -- said $100,000 has been allocated by council this year to upgrade the city's parks.

"It's going to take a few years, but we're committed," he said. "They've been neglected for a very long time."

Thalman and other Wheeling officials commended the previous council for making the move to start the Warwood tennis court project, and to make other upgrades to recreational areas in the city.

Thalman also singled out his predecessor, former Councilwoman Gloria Delbrugge, for being the force behind the tennis court project.

When the courts were moved, a bit of their history also was displaced. A marker near the courts honoring the late Warwood resident, band director and tennis aficionado Loren Mercer also had to be removed.

Peggy Dailer has directed the Loran Mercer Tennis Tournament for 25 years, and she said she was insistent the marker be saved. After its removal, it was stored inside the water plant, and has now been reset outside the fence at the new courts.

J. Loran Mercer's daughter-in-law, Beth Mercer, explained her father-in-law and three friends built the first tennis court along North 19th Street in Warwood when they were in high school. They purchased rackets and tennis balls from the Sears catalog, then cleared away brush at the site so they could play.

The Mercer family has long been synonymous locally with tennis, and members turned out Friday for the unveiling of the new court. Among them were son, Dr. Don Mercer and his wife, Beth; son, Dr. William Mercer; and grandsons Ron and Tom Mercer.

"I'm happy to see the courts here," Dailer said. "And I hope the Warwood and Corpus Christi schools use it for their physical education classes."