Surveyors were on the historic court green in Mathews last week, measuring land elevations in preliminary steps to address drainage issues there and created a more usable public space.

The Mathews Main Street Committee has received a $50,000 matching grant from a private donor to make improvements to the court green, said committee chair Bette Dillehay, but because drainage has been a long-term problem, that needs to be addressed first. She said the committee’s match for the grant will be $25,000.

Dillehay said that initial surveying was done by the Virginia Department of Transportation, but that the work is continuing under the direction of Bay Design, a surveying group located in Urbanna.

Committee member Tim Hudgins, who is an architect, said that Bay Design will verify conditions on the court green, including locating drainage pipes, determining whether there are any blockages or other pipe issues, and shooting elevations to see how the site drains. He said there are no ...