In two or three months, Athens hopes to have seven tennis courts at two locations repaired and resurfaced for tennis buffs, an official said.

City Council members agreed this week to spend up to $6,500 to have Morell Engineering of Athens develop bid specifications and oversee the repair and resurfacing of the three courts at Big Spring Memorial Park near downtown Athens and four courts at Swan Creek Park near the high school.

The city intends to seek bids on the proposed work, which includes repairing cracks and installing a special surface designed to last longer than traditional asphalt, said Ben Wiley, director of Cemetery, Parks and Recreation.

The city will advertise for bids for 30 days and then see if the bids it receives meet the specifications as well as the city’s budget for the project, he said.

Citizen concern about the condition of recreational tennis courts in the city prompted the proposed repairs.

The city was forced to take bids on the work after estimates to repair the courts exceeded the state bid limit, which requires cities to take bids on projects expected to cost $50,000 or more. The estimate to fix Big Spring courts was $20,000 and the estimate to fix Swan Creek courts was $35,000.

There are eight courts at Swan Creek, four that belong to the city and four the city gave the Athens School System to do with as it wished.

The money for the work will come from the Cemetery, Parks and Recreation Department capital account.