New tennis facility coming to West St. Paul: mayor

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This article was published 11/05/2022 (1567 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WEST ST. PAUL

West St. Paul is getting nearer to an expansive new tennis facility at Sunova Centre. Tennis Manitoba is in the midst of a capital campaign to raise funds for the facility, which has been divided into two phases.

The first phase would see the construction of five to eight outdoor tennis courts, depending on fundraising, atop two acres of land donated by the Rural Municipality of West St. Paul. Among the courts would be a “feature court” with seating for tournaments and two courts with “feature lighting.”

“It’ll be a great thing for the community — a community that’s expanding rapidly, and I think it’ll complement what is happening in West St. Paul,” said Mark Arndt, executive director of Tennis Manitoba.

Arndt said the organization is approximately $200,000 short of “getting everything on their wish list” for phase one, which had a fundraising goal of $1.3 million.

“We’re certainly close to having it completed, but we still aren’t at the point where we can confirm that, yes, it’s happening. But we’re fairly confident we can bring it across the finish line,” he said.

Phase two targets $4.1 million in raised capital to build a five-court indoor facility to augment the already developed outdoor courts.

Tennis has enjoyed a boom in popularity in recent years, Arndt said. He chalked up the growing popularity to a couple factors — the success of Canadians such as Bianca Andreescu and Leylah Fernandez at the professional level, and the fact that, alongside golf, it was one of the only pandemic-safe sports to play for the past two years.

“Participation numbers across the country and in Manitoba are on the rise. It’s a big sport, and it’s a sport that can be played from ages four to 94,” he said.

The facility is an attempt to accommodate that demand and also to make the sport more accessible, he said.

“It will be a facility that’s one of a kind in Canada, and it’ll offer options for everyone. It’ll be all inclusive. We’ll have wheelchair tennis, beginners, kids, adults, whatever it may be. And we’re hoping to bring international competition to the facility,” Arndt said.

The feature court with spectator seating should also provide a much-needed space where parents can watch their children play, as other major sports have enjoyed for decades, Arndt said. West St. Paul mayor Cheryl Christian served up her wholehearted support for the project, going so far as pronouncing the facility a certainty.

“It’s not a possibility; it’s happening,” she said.

Christian said the facility will bolster the community, and play an important role in the municipality’s growth.

“This is another meeting place for families, for young kids, for young and old to participate in sports like this. Activities like this and partnerships like this bring our community together … it’s really important, and it’s really valued,” she said, adding the facility falls squarely into the municipality’s strategic plan, which among other things, aims to create community spaces and beautify the area.