The completion of a tennis court project at Palmerton Area High School will have to wait until 2023.

Weather, in particular falling leaves, has crews putting off final painting.

“That’s going to be finished up in the spring,” PASD Facilities Manager Joe Faenza said Tuesday. “When those leaves fall, they leave marks everywhere so that painting can’t be completed right now. It’s hard to say exactly when the final painting will take place, but it should be done within two days once it starts.”

It’s been a wild ride to the finish line of the project for Palmerton. The district’s school board originally approved the $174,668.36 project in June. It called for milling of existing cracks at the courts and installation of a new wearing base.

In August, the board agreed to $2,502.47 for additional Superpave wearing course tonnage to level out several spots. Then Palmerton was informed it would need more than double the original amount of acrylic resurfacer, costing another $24,000, to finish the work. At the time, Faenza said the district’s engineer felt the asphalt was too porous.

After the district sent core samples of the asphalt, which came from New Enterprise Stone and Lime Company, to Certified Laboratories for testing, it was determined Palmerton would not have to pay for the extra resurfacer.

“One thing I’m going to say about Joe (Faenza) is he stood our ground and he was being the district the whole way on this,” director Earl Paules said. “And when you stand behind our district, we stand behind you.”

On Tuesday, Palmerton approved acceptance of a five-year limited repair and replacement material warranty agreement with New Enterprise.

Faenza said lines would be taped on the courts so Palmerton tennis players can practice there in the spring before final painting is done. If matches have to be moved, however, the district will get help paying the bill.

“New Enterprise is also paying us up to $5,000 for any additional costs we incur such as bussing students elsewhere for matches due to this not being our fault,” Faenza said.