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4+ inches of rain washes away Carrollton sport court

So much rain fell in one day in Carrollton, that the city says it made a plastic basketball court look like wet, torn up carpet.

CARROLLTON, Texas — Remember when kids used to go outside and play?

It’s still happening in Carollton in Croft Park, where Brandon Gonzalez plays ball. He was thrilled last July when this concrete court got a serious upgrade. Last July, a local charity and church funded a new sport court.

"I mean, it was pretty fancy," Gonzalez. "I really thought the city was investing, for entertainment."

Neighbors loved it too.

"Now I can see teenagers playing instead of being on their cell phones, and that’s fantastic," Marcela Menendez said. 

But that dream court is gone not even a year later.

The culprit? Heavy rain late in April. The City of Carrollton says it saw 4.5 inches of rain in this park in one night. That sent the creek up, out of its banks, and over to the court.

"Clearly, when you have that much rain, the power of that sometimes is unstoppable," said Scott Whitaker, the Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Carrollton. 

The pictures of the waterlogged court make it look like washed up carpeting.

"The water was able to get underneath it, then the volume of the rain kind of pushed it to the end, again, toward the creek," said Whitaker.

Repairs will likely cost Carrollton a couple thousand dollars, but plans to replace the court are already in the works.

"My understanding is the manufacturer is going to try a different surface or adhesive and try to weight it down or keep it in place," said Whitaker. 

The neighborhood can’t wait.

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