New Hope Borough and Solebury Township
Water and dirt reach a New Hope court from three directions: the Delaware when it floods, the hills when it rains, and the fields and lawns beside it. Each wears on the surface in its own way.
Local courts
The Delaware has flooded New Hope Borough more than once, and the borough faces Lambertville, New Jersey, across it. Solebury Township, next door, spreads over 27 square miles of farms, woods, neighborhoods and villages such as Lahaska, Carversville and Lumberville. The two share the New Hope-Solebury School District, and many Solebury addresses read New Hope. We take on tennis and pickleball courts in both, from the riverbank to the hills.
Ace Court Surfacing works out of Bucks County, and calls about New Hope and Solebury courts go to Bill Ferguson at 215-251-2984. Before anything is mixed for a court here, its cracks and low spots get mapped, along with whatever reaches it from the river, the slopes and the lawns around it. That points to one of three jobs: new color, repairs underneath first, or pickleball lines on a tennis court with room for them. If the trouble starts off the court, in the grading or drainage around it, deal with that before any coating.
Local conditions
The Delaware flooded New Hope in 2004 and again in 2006, and the Great Flood of 1955 did worse. One coating maker says acrylic surfaces aren’t designed to sit under water and break down quickly when they can’t drain. Before planning work on a court near the river or the canal, look the lot up on FEMA’s flood map.
Solebury has real slopes: the township lists Magill’s Hill, above the Delaware, for sledding. USTA Middle States says a court on a large hill, like one in a flood zone, needs its water redirected. One coating maker adds that water running onto or under a court causes problems, so keep drains and swales clear. Trace the water’s path across your hillside court, and finish any regrading before recoating.
Solebury still has an active farming community, and a court beside fields or lawn gets whatever blows or sprays its way. One coating maker’s manual says to trim grass back, mulch beds, plant bare ground, and keep weed killer, fertilizer and insect control products off the surface. Overwatering plants nearby, it warns, can build up moisture under the base, and when the sun heats the court, blisters can form.
Start here
If you’ve been driving to Laurel Park for a game, blended lines can bring up to two pickleball courts home to your tennis court, one each side of the net, with tennis still playable.
When field dust, runoff stains or floodwater have dulled a court on a sound base, resurfacing cleans it down to well-bonded coating, then rebuilds the resurfacer, sand-textured color and lines, measured fresh.
USTA Middle States warns that a court holding pooled water is more prone to cracks and erosion. On a low court near the river or the canal, crack repair fills the cracks and levels the spots where water sits.
That depends on what the water did underneath. Rinse the silt off, and gently: one coating maker warns that a pressure-washer wand held too close can strip the coating. Once the court dries, check it for lifted or blistered color, new cracks and new puddles. If only the color took the damage, resurfacing rebuilds it. If the pavement shifted, repairs come first, and heavy base work means repaving before any color goes back on. Call Bill at 215-251-2984 with what the flood left behind.
It can, and Solebury Township has weighed that question in its own parks. The township fitted the Laurel Park pickleball courts with sound barriers, and when residents proposed courts at Solebury Green, a park planned for passive recreation, noise was one of the objections. Before lines go down, think about how close the nearest house sits and whether a barrier belongs in the plan. If one does, put it up before the new lines and color, since digging posts beside a freshly coated court can damage the surface.
With a walk after a good rain. Note where water runs onto the court and which puddles are still there after an hour of sun on a 70°F day. If one is deeper than 1/16 inch, the American Sports Builders Association calls it a birdbath, and birdbaths delay play. Check the shady corners for mildew. Rub the color with a dark cloth: powder means it’s chalking. Then call Bill at 215-251-2984 with your notes, and sort out what needs doing now and what can wait.