MACON, Ga. — Macon-Bibb commissioners might have to make a decision on whether to spend money to fix some of Macon's tennis courts.
The county hired tennis pro Jaime Kaplan for eight weeks to examine the courts to see what needed to be done.
David Knapp, who was out playing on the courts Sunday, says his first impression of them were that they needed to be fixed.
"The courts are all right. There are definitely some big cracks and right now they're not a problem, but I can see it being an issue down the line," Knapp said. "They could get bigger. It could become more uneven, it could become a hazard they could trip on--a hazard to the players."
Kaplan told commissioners Tuesday the courts were out of shape. She showed them photos of cracks at John Drew Smith Tennis Center and Tattnall Square Park.
"We just had a national tournament here. We just had the top juniors from around the state, and this is what we're showing them," Kaplan said.
She says the courts need to be resurfaced about every five to seven years. If the courts don't get resurfaced, she fears Macon could lose their tournaments.
"It was said, 'I don't know how serious Macon is about their tennis,'" Kaplan said to commissioners.
Visit Macon estimates in 2018 more than 4,500 hotel and motel rooms were bought for the tournaments and they make a $3.2 milion impact on the county.
The county managers says the last time the courts were resurfaced was about seven years ago.
Kaplan estimates it would cost $65,000 to resurface the courts. She says she believes the U.S. Tennis Association would match that investment with up to $60,000 of grant money.
For now, Knapp says he's glad he has a place to hit the ball around with his dad regardless of the cracks.