Hilo’s Lincoln Park tennis courts to close June 1 for resurfacing

Downtown Hilo’s Lincoln Park tennis courts will go dark starting June 1, closing off one of Hilo’s most heavily used neighborhood recreation spots so the County of Hawaii can strip out cracks, level the playing surface and lay a new court system.

The courts, near the intersection of Kinoole and Ponahawai streets at 426 Kinoole Street, are expected to stay closed for at least a month, with weather and other factors able to push that longer. Residents are being asked to stay out of the facility while crews work.

The project carries a $195,000 price tag, with $160,000 coming from a United States Tennis Association grant and $35,000 from county funds. County records tie the work to Job No. PR-4932, Lincoln Park Tennis Courts Resurfacing and Security Improvements, which also includes painting the existing net posts and applying new court lines.

For regular users, the closure will hit more than pickup matches. The Lincoln Park courts serve neighborhood players, school programs, leagues, youth players, seniors and casual downtown users who rely on a central, accessible place to play. County facilities listings identify the courts as ADA-accessible outdoor tennis courts, underscoring their role as a public amenity rather than a private sports site.

Nearby alternatives exist elsewhere in Hilo while the Lincoln Park courts are offline. County listings show outdoor tennis courts at the Hoolulu Complex at 799 Piilani Street, at Edith Kanakaole Multi-Purpose Stadium at 350 Kalanikoa Street, and at Mālama Park at 299 Mamaki Street. Lincoln Park itself, at 405 Kinoole Street, also includes a pavilion, playground and restrooms, making the tennis closure part of a broader interruption to daily downtown recreation.

The resurfacing also looks like an overdue repair, not just a cosmetic refresh. The work is aimed at cracks and an uneven surface on courts that have been part of Hilo’s park network for generations. Living New Deal says the original four courts at Lincoln Park were begun by the Civil Works Administration and completed by the Federal Emergency Relief Administration in 1934, with 32 men employed on the project by March 26 of that year.

County records show the broader package also included support for a SmartAccess entry system, used to manage reservations and authorized access. Together, the resurfacing and access upgrades suggest the county is trying to catch up on maintenance at a long-standing downtown facility that remains central to everyday recreation in Hilo.