A Jackson engineering company has been hired to prepare the design for the tennis courts expansion at Halls Ferry Park.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Monday approved an agreement with Engineering Service, a division of M & G Services Enterprise Inc. totaling $14,400 to design the expansion and prepare plans and specifications and engineering for the $200,000 project.

The board in December approved the project, which is funded in part by a $100,000 Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks Land and Water Conservation grant. The city on Jan. 23 approved applying for an additional $60,000 in WLF funds to enlarge the expansion by an additional two courts, which South Ward Alderman Willis Thompson said could put the city in the position to attract more tennis tournaments, including Southwest Athletic Conference tennis tournaments.

“We’ve been told the reason we hadn’t been able to do it in the past is because we didn’t have an adequate number of courts,” he said.

According to city officials, the tennis courts expansion project involves building more tennis courts northeast of the park’s 10 existing courts and developing a handicap accessible walkway from the parking lot to the courts.

At the time the project was approved, city landscape director Jeff Richardson told the board the projects biggest challenge would be finding the shortest route from the parking area to the new courts.

He said most of the grant would be used to meet the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

In a related matter, the board Monday also approved applying for another $100,000 Wildlife grant to build a walking trail at Halls Ferry. The walking trail was included in the grants, coordinator Marcia Weaver said.

The walking trail was initially included in the application for the tennis courts expansion, but there was insufficient grant money at the time to fund both.