Perham-Dent School Board Unveils $1M Tennis Court Rebuild and Playground Upgrade

The Perham-Dent School Board reviewed renderings and details for a proposed facilities project that would rebuild eight tennis courts at Perham High School and replace the poured rubber base of the elementary playground. Superintendent Mitch Anderson presented the plan at the Feb. 11 monthly board meeting and outlined cost and funding options that matter to local taxpayers, athletes and families.

Anderson gave an itemized estimate of $1.01 million to rebuild the eight courts and a separate $93,000 estimate to install the playground base and pour an addition. He said combining the two elements produced a broader projected range of $1.2 million to $1.5 million, though actual costs will not be known until the district puts the work out to bid. The board reviewed renderings and a site map during the meeting; image files shown to the board include perhamtenniscourtrendering2026.JPG and tennis court map.png.

The proposed courts would remain in the current location along First Avenue South at the Perham High School complex. Anderson cited a natural wind break created by trees surrounding the site as a primary reason to keep courts in place. Anderson also recommended replacing the entire poured rubber base of the existing elementary playground and completing the addition at the same time to consolidate work and costs.

Funding would rely primarily on Long-Term Facilities Maintenance funding, commonly called LTFM, a state-approved revenue source restricted to maintaining, repairing or renovating current facilities. Anderson said the Perham-Dent School District receives about $400,000 annually in LTFM funds and described a financing approach that would allocate half of those receipts over a 10-year span toward the tennis court project. The remaining portion of LTFM funds, he said, would remain available for other maintenance needs. Anderson noted the district used LTFM to pay for a recently completed track renovation and proposed the tennis courts be financed in a similar manner. A grant may also be used, though no specific grant program or amounts were identified at the meeting.

The proposal raises trade-offs for local budgeting and facilities priorities. Directing roughly half of annual LTFM receipts toward a multi-year capital push could limit the district’s flexibility to fund other repairs or renovations from that restricted revenue stream. For families and student-athletes, the rebuild would replace aging courts and potentially improve playing conditions; for elementary students, the playground work would replace the poured rubber base and expand surfacing.

Next steps are procedural: the district must put the project out to bid to establish firm costs, and no formal board action or vote on funding was reported at the Feb. 11 meeting. Residents interested in the project can expect a future bid process, cost updates after bidding, and additional board discussion before any contract is awarded.