Area tennis players who once had to wait to hit the court during prime playing hours are a thing of the past.

The Auburn Recreation District opened two new courts at Regional Park in early June, complementing the existing four and accommodating additional games.

District Administrator Kahl Muscott has already noticed increased play.

“The four that were out there were very heavily used, especially Monday through Friday during the late morning,” Muscott said. “We have an active adult community that loves using those free courts. For a long time it’s been people standing around, waiting to play.”

Muscott said ARD had been receiving requests for new courts for several years.

“It was just one of those things where we needed the money,” he said.

ARD began construction last November, “but we had a very wet winter and the ground needed a long time to dry,” Muscott said.

The courts were funded through county mitigation fees

“It’s a long time coming,” said Scott Holbrook, ARD board chairman. “We’ve been trying to get these tennis courts going for almost 10 years now. They’re already getting heavily used.”

Holbrook said a group of Meadow Vista players lobbied ARD to build the new courts. Four tennis courts in Meadow Vista have been converted to pickleball courts.

“Public tennis courts in the Auburn area are very limited,” he said. “People from all over use them. Now in Auburn we can have multiple tennis games going on and people can gather.”

The new Laykold courts feature a unique color scheme — the inner court is a dark blue, while the outside is a standard green.

“From what we found out, that’s the new scheme that most courts are going to,” Muscott said. “You can see the ball better on it. That’s the new thing.”

ARD board member Jimmy Carroll played the new courts for the first time Monday.

“Visually, they’re beautiful,” Carroll said. “They’re fun to look at. The balls bounce nice. It’s just in a really nice setting, a tribute to the board and staff working really well together.”

Unfortunately, the new surfaces have been as appealing to bicyclists as tennis players.

“I haven’t seen skid marks on the old courts ever,” Carroll said. “It’s something about this blue. Let’s try to keep these things nice for the community, call the sheriff if you see bikes on the courts.”