Needham taxpayers are getting nearly $466,000 back after the Needham High School tennis court renovation came in well under its projected cost.

The project, funded by a fall 2024 Town Meeting appropriation of $3 million, used $2.2 million to replace four aging courts with eight new post-tensioned concrete courts on the high school campus. The design-phase estimate had been $2.7 million; the additional funds in the $3 million appropriation covered a deliberately oversized contingency to guard against inflation. The work wrapped up in September 2025, and the leftover funds will return to the town as Free Cash and CPA General Reserve funds, depending on their original funding source, available for appropriation at a future Town Meeting.

Park and Recreation Director Stacey Mulroy told the Needham Observer the savings caught even her off guard.

"I wasn't surprised it was under budget; I was surprised at the amount it was under budget," Mulroy said. "It's not often we get to do that, you know, be able to turn back that kind of money to the town, which is helpful."

The $2.2 million covered demolition of the old courts, regrading, stormwater management, landscaping, fencing upgrades, and ADA-accessible walkways. It was the first major upgrade since the courts were built in 2006. Design firm Activitas oversaw the project, with Argus Construction Corp. handling the build.

Why the estimate was so high

The $2.7 million design estimate included a 7.5% construction and design contingency of $173,550, plus escalation costs for 2024 and 2025 totaling $188,822. Mulroy said the town deliberately padded the budget because inflation and supply-chain disruptions had been driving up prices on materials like steel in prior years.

Those fears didn't materialize. Steel and other materials caused little to no cost issues during construction, making the large contingency unnecessary.

Individual line items told a mixed story: mobilization, erosion control, a seat wall, the asphalt parking lot, and the post-tensioned courts themselves all came in above original estimates. More than $100,000 in added costs went to drainage repairs, extra concrete, and paving work. But savings on the water line, area drains, and new plantings more than offset those overruns.

What it means for Needham

The completed project brings the town's total public tennis court count to 16. The $3 million appropriation drew from multiple sources, including $1.1 million from the General Reserve Fund, Community Preservation Act funds, the Athletic Facility Stabilization Fund, Overlay Surplus, and CPA Free Cash, according to the town's official project page.

Mulroy, who has led Needham's Park and Recreation Department since February 2020, said the experience is informing how she budgets future projects. The department's next capital initiative is a disc golf course feasibility study, funded by a $50,000 appropriation approved at the May 2026 Annual Town Meeting.