Perham awards tennis court rebuild to local contractor Hammers Construction

Perham-Dent schools handed Hammers Construction, Inc. a $955,000 contract Wednesday to rebuild eight deteriorating tennis courts at Perham High School, a bid that landed about $445,000 below the district’s earlier $1.4 million estimate and keeps the biggest share of the project in Perham.

The Perham-based contractor was one of five companies competing for the job. ICS, the district’s consulting engineer, received the bids Tuesday, May 12, 2026, and recommended Hammers as the apparent low bidder after confirming the proposal was valid. The project is being structured as a single-prime contract, giving one contractor responsibility for bonds and overall accountability from start to finish.

For Perham, the award means a major public works project stays close to home instead of going to an outside firm. Perham had 3,512 residents at the 2020 Census, and the city sits about 70 miles east of Fargo, making the tennis court rebuild a visible example of school spending in a small community where one contract can have an outsized local effect.

The rebuild goes well beyond resurfacing. Board materials call for eight regulation-sized courts on a concrete base, shifted about 10 feet south from the current location to create more space between the complex and nearby residential lots. The plan also calls for a 10-foot fence, V-shaped sections between courts to help keep balls from crossing into adjacent playing areas, and maintenance gates discussed at 8 feet wide.

The Perham-Dent School Board had already approved the tennis court design-development plan on March 17, 2026, and authorized the project to move into the construction-document phase. That earlier step showed the rebuild had moved well past concept work before bids were opened, setting up Wednesday’s award as the point where the project became a local contract rather than a planning exercise.

The money difference matters. At $955,000, Hammers’ bid came in about 68% of the earlier $1.4 million estimate, which had included design fees and contingencies. That gap gives the district a firmer price for a needed athletic upgrade and leaves more room between the final contract and the amount first anticipated for the project.

For students, coaches and families, the timeline now turns to contract paperwork and construction scheduling. Once work begins, the district will be replacing courts that officials have already described as deteriorating, giving Perham High School a more durable athletic facility and a noticeably improved campus asset for tennis, recreation and school events.