A successful fundraiser organized in honor of Treyjon Arsenault, who was killed May 26 in a Portland shooting, has spiraled into plans to overhaul a Westbrook basketball court.

Derek Breunig, an 18-year-old graduate of Westbrook High School this year, and a close friend of Arsenault’s, started a GoFundMe campaign the day after the shooting to raise money for Arsenault’s family. It went better than expected. In a matter of a few weeks, the crowdfunding campaign had raised more than $10,500.

At Monday’s Westbrook City Council meeting, Breunig handed a check for $5,000 to the city to help pay for upgrades to the basketball court, located next to the Cornelia Warren Pool off Main Street. The remaining funds were given to Arsenault’s family to help offset funeral costs. The city also announced Monday that the Cornelia Warren Community Foundation would be donating $30,000 toward the court upgrades.

Breunig said Arsenault frequented the court during the last year. It was also the site of a large impromptu vigil the day of his death.

Arsenault, 19, died after he was shot at Da Block Studios, on the corner of Fore and Market streets in downtown Portland. Portland police said a 20-year-old man was also shot, but was expected to make a full recovery.

Jim Sweatt, a Portland Police Department spokesman, said Wednesday that the case is still under investigation. There have not been any updates about the case from the police in more than a month and no suspects identified.

On Tuesday, Breunig was playing basketball on the Westbrook court. Melted wax from dozens of candles was still visible at center court. He said it’s strange now to play on the court. The plans to upgrade the site include a complete resurfacing, new hoops, lighting, and a bronze plaque memorial for Arsenault.

“It’s different playing down here now,” Breunig said, but he’s hoping that the refurbished court will garner more use.

He said the idea for revamping the court came from seeing the black spray paint that reads “RIP Trey” along the court’s perimeter, which was painted during the vigil.

“I just saw it, and saw the courts, and I saw a memorial,” he said.

Arsenault was a multi-sport athlete in Westbrook, the captain of the football team his senior year. Breunig said that when Arsenault frequented the court, there would be a lot of their friends there, playing five-on-five pickup games. Now, he said, no one is really using it, especially with the wax still present at center court. And the lights affixed to telephone poles above the court don’t work.

Nancy Laxson, Arsenault’s mother, said Wednesday that after graduating, Arsenault used to travel to Westbrook from Scarborough to play at the court with his friends.

“I’m so grateful of this young man who took it upon himself to start all of this,” she said about Breunig. “I’m truly honored and I know Trey would be grateful of the community coming together.”

Suzanne Joyce, a Westbrook School Committee member, is also assisting with the project. Joyce’s son, Collin, was also close friends with Arsenault, and teammates with him through middle and high school.

“We’ve had people reach out and say they would like to donate labor, or materials,” Joyce said Tuesday.

Joyce said the next step is to figure out costs for the project. Breunig has also been researching public courts in an effort to guide the priorities for the space.

“It’s a lot of homework, but once we put it together, it’s going to be amazing,” Joyce said.

Breunig will attend Maine Maritime Academy in the fall, where he’ll also play football. He said that when he started the GoFundMe campaign, it blew up on Facebook and Twitter, adding that there have been at least 1,000 shares of the page.

“It’s amazing the turnaround of people contributing,” Joyce said about the fundraiser. “It skyrocketed. People who didn’t even know the family.”

Breunig said the morning after he created the GoFundMe page, it was already at $1,000.

“It was making about $100 an hour for a week straight,” he said.

Noah Collins, also a close friend of Arsenault, said he donated to the campaign.

“It became one of Trey’s favorite places to stay active and hang out with friends after we graduated,” he said about the court. “I’m also very impressed by what Derek did and how much he raised. It just once again shows the world what Trey meant to this community and that he affected an immense web of people.”

On Monday, while presenting the check, Breunig thanked all those who donated.

“I’d like to thank the community for donating, and supporting the family,” he said.

City officials commended Breunig for his efforts. Sitting behind Breunig at the podium were also a number of Arsenault’s close friends.

City Administrator Jerre Bryant said refurbishing the courts has been identified for a few years as a needed project.

“This was a place that Trey spent a lot of time playing basketball, and everyone felt it a very appropriate way to memorialize him,” he said.

Bryant said that between the money raised by Breunig, the Cornelia Warren Foundation, and an additional $10,000 from last year’s city capital improvement plan, there will be “a complete renovation of the courts.”

“They get a lot of use and they’re really in need of a major overhaul,” he said.

Before leaving the court Tuesday, Breunig said a half court attempt would be his last shot of the day. Standing atop the melted candle wax left from Arsenault’s vigil, he let it go. Swish.

Derek Breunig shoots a basketball at the city’s public courts near the Cornelia Warren Pool Tuesday. Breunig has raised money to revamp the aged courts, in honor of his friend Treyjon Arsenault, who was killed in May. Staff photo by Andrew RiceA spray-painted message, “RIP Trey” is still visible after a vigil was held at the Westbrook basketball court in May for the late Treyjon Arsenault. Breunig said the message inspired the fundraiser for the court.Derek Breunig hands a check for $5,000 to Westbrook Mayor Colleen Hilton during Monday’s City Council meeting. The money, raised from a GoFundMe effort, will help renovate a public basketball court in honor of Treyjon Arsenault, a former Westbrook resident killed in Portland in May. Staff photos by Andrew Rice