CASPER, Wyo. — The Natrona County School District 1 Board of Trustees agreed to a trial compromise allowing some of its outdoor tennis courts to remain open past the traditional seasonal closing date, responding to a community petition seeking extended play throughout the winter.
Following a unanimous vote by the board at its Monday meeting, the school district will will leave nets up on two tennis courts at the Beverly Street complex until Nov. 15, provided temperatures do not trend below freezing for more than seven consecutive days prior to that date.
The decision follows months of board deliberation after local residents submitted a petition asking the district to keep at least two courts playable year-round rather than winterizing the entire facility. The complex, which opened in 2023, includes 10 tennis courts and eight pickleball courts, and historically operates for public use from mid-March through mid-October.
In January, the board originally voted 7–2 to reject year-round operations, citing concerns of safety hazards on the court and rocky pathways leading to the courts.
“There are large river rocks there, and … people do what people do,” Trustee Thea True-Wells said on Monday. “They would walk right over the river rock because it was the most direct path to the other courts on the far side of the pavilion. Well, there is a sprained ankle hazard and other safety hazards.”
Other concerns discussed in January included net degradation, potential surface cracking from freeze–thaw cycles and increased winter maintenance demands. However, district staff ultimately chose to look more into the matter and referred the issue to the Board Infrastructure and Planning Committee for further evaluation.
“The legal analysis recognized that Wyoming law provides some protection for risks inherent in recreational activities,” Associate Superintendent Amy Rose told the trustees on Monday. “However, those protections do not fully insulate the district from potential liability.”
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