Indoor courts are the dream. But, the Prince George Tennis Club will be left out in the cold until redevelopment begins at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club and Recreation Place.
The PGTC, an eight-court facility, is currently located at Recreation Place. The PGTC executive has been told by the city that the club will be relocated to the west side of the existing PGGCC clubhouse.
When the move -- and hopefully construction of an indoor tennis centre -- will happen, is anybody's guess. While city council approved in February a long-term neighbourhood plan for the area, the sale of the land is still not complete. The R.J. Cooper Group, a consortium of local investors, has offered to purchase the site.
In the meantime, the PGTC does not want to shell out the cash to have a dome installed over four of its courts.
"[The move] could happen in the next few years so you don't really want to spend the money investing in a bubble at this point," said PGTC president Kelly Wintemute. "I believe it was about $30,000 to do the bubble and then of course all the costs associated with heating it and maintaining it. And I believe they have a shorter life span as well. They're not permanent structures. So, with that said, if we knew that we had 10 years [at the current location], it might be worth going that route but we can't get that kind of confirmation."
If an indoor facility is eventually built at the proposed new location, it wouldn't be used just for tennis.
"We've been having discussions with other sporting groups on having sort of a collaborative approach to doing business -- so sharing administrative services and space," Wintemute said. "It would ideally be more than just the tennis club."
New PGTC head coach Andriy Vdovenko looks forward to the day when local residents can serve up some fun on snowy winter days.
"If players can play all year round, it will benefit a lot of people," said Vdovenko, who added that interest in the game would almost certainly grow.
Definitely," he said. "People don't want to come out and relearn the game every year."
