Edgecomb is seeking to replace its former municipal tennis court as a requirement for meeting federal guidelines on a 1974 grant. As part of a Land Water Conservation Program grant, Edgecomb received funds to build a single tennis court at the former Eddy School’s site on Cross Point Road.

For the past three years, the town has worked with the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry seeking an acceptable outdoor recreation alternate location. But finding an acceptable one hasn’t been easy.

In 2004, the town sold the former Eddy school property for $1 to Elder Care Network of Lincoln County. The location now known as Edgecomb Green provides affordable senior citizen housing. The former municipal tennis court was at the former school and wasn’t usable for years prior to the sale. “When my kids were there it was used for kickball and tennis could no longer be played,” Selectman Mike Smith said. 

In 2011, a state inspection determined Edgecomb had violated grant terms. In selling the property, Edgecomb failed to provide required public access and property maintenance, according to the state Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

In 1974, Edgecomb received $5,600 in federal funds to build a tennis court on 2.8 acres. And since the town disposed of the property, the town can’t refurbish the court. The grant also prohibits Edgecomb from repaying the grant, in either 1974 or 2021 dollars. “We can’t simply right a check. We’re obligated to find a suitable replacement,” said Smith at the Oct. 4 board meeting. “The regulations are pretty strict. We must replace it with another outdoor recreational option of equal or greater value.”

One option being considered is a 13-acre donation for creating a new recreational trail. Selectmen plan on discussing that option and others with Schmid Preserve Chairman Lisa McSwain at the Oct. 18 selectmen’s meeting.

Finding a suitable recreational spot isn’t the only challenge facing Edgecomb. Federal guidelines require a “Class A” audit to determine if the property has equal value to the tennis court. 

“The state has to inspect the location and that assessment may cost anywhere between $8,000 to $10,000,” Smith said.

If the town fails to find a suitable replacement then it wouldn’t qualify for future federal grants, according to Beck. Board Chairman Dawn Murray is in her first year as a selectman. She was dumbfounded how complex and rigid the replacement process is. “It’s extremely frustrating,” she said. “We gave the property to the Green for a dollar to provide assisted living for our seniors. It’s not like we made any money on this.”