Construction is expected to begin this spring to replace the existing tennis and basketball courts on Massey Drive with a new, multi-sport facility.
On Monday night, city council approved entering into a gift agreement with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities to build the courts. The value of the donation by Jumpstart is estimated to be roughly $900,000, city director of civic operations Blake McIntosh said.
“This is a significant gift to the city,” Coun. Garth Frizzell said. “The amount, over $900,000, is one you don’t see often around this table.”
In October, city council approved a $475,000 budget to cover the city’s portion of the project, preparing the site.
“The new sport court will include one regulation size International Basketball Federation (FIBA) court, one flex court that includes tennis and basketball configurations and one racket sport court that would include tennis and pickleball options,” McIntosh wrote in a previous report to city council. “Viewing and rest areas are covered with shade structures.”
With the gift agreement in place, construction is expected to begin in spring, McIntosh said.
“If we get a typical spring and start in late May, we could hold a grant opening sometime after Labour Day,” he said. “This is going to be a premier, destination facility for the city. There is going to be a lot of people in the pickleball community who are going to be really excited.”
Since the city already has an existing facility on the site, which is aging and in need of refurbishment anyway, city staff don’t anticipate any significant increase in operating costs for the facility, McIntosh said. The useful life for the new playing surface is expected to be 15 years, with the remainder of the facility expected to be useful for 20 to 25 years, he added.
Coun. Kyle Sampson said if the city won’t be incurring additional operating costs for the new facility, then he’s happy to support it.
“Sometimes a gift isn’t really a gift,” he said. “(But) I think this is going… to make the site better.”
