The District of Summerland and School District 67 celebrated the official opening of three new tennis courts with a ribbon cutting ceremony on May 17.
The Summerland Parks & Recreation Master Plan identified that Summerland is relatively under-served for the number of public tennis courts compared to other communities in the region and the existing public courts are in poor condition. The goal to improve tennis courts was identified by Council as a priority in the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan.
The District of Summerland reached out to School District 67 to explore a partnership to replace the Summerland Secondary School’s tennis courts which had fallen into disrepair. The School District accepted the opportunity which has resulted in three brand new tennis courts available for school use as well as for community use.
The project included the full removal of existing courts, a new foundation, and the construction of three new courts including nets and fencing. There are two post sleeves built in the east tennis court for the potential phased addition of basketball hoops. The tennis courts are located in the heart of downtown Summerland.
Quotes “From the building of the Aquatic Centre almost 40 years ago to the recent opening of a new skate park, Summerland Council and the local School Board have a long history of working cooperatively for the benefit of the community. The rebuilding of the high school tennis courts for both public and school use is yet the latest example of our strong ongoing partnership.”
~ Doug Holmes, Mayor of Summerland
“Ensuring we have strong relationships with local government and our community partners continues to be an important commitment of our Board. The most recent example of our partnership with the District of Summerland to renew the tennis courts at Summerland Secondary is a great illustration of this, as this project will benefit our students, and members of the Summerland community, for many years to come.”
~Chair James Palanio
The project budget was $301,000, which included $100,000 from School District 67 and a District of Summerland allocation of $201,000 from federal Community Works Fund. This federal funding program, administered through the Union of British Columbia, delivers funding to local government infrastructure and capacity building projects in BC.