Duane Hicks
The tennis courts at the Memorial Sports Centre are closed indefinitely to the public for reasons of safety.
Council received a report from Community Services manager George Bell at its regular meeting Monday night, which recommended they be closed as the town continues to pursue an agreement with the local public school board to build new tennis courts near the high school.
“It is my opinion that the state of repair on the tennis courts and surrounding fencing has deteriorated to the condition they are no longer safe to play on,” Bell wrote.
“This represents a serious liability situation for the town, and it is the recommendation of the Community Services executive that the tennis courts be closed to the public for reasons of public safety,” he added.
“This is something that needs to be done,” echoed Coun. Rick Wiedenhoeft.
“The tennis courts are just in total disarray,” he noted. “There are holes, there are gouges, there are cracks.
“It’s really a health and safety issue,” he stressed. “We must close it for the protection of our citizens.”
Coun. Wiedenhoeft said he will continue to press the Rainy River District School Board on the development of new tennis courts near the high school.
He added Bell had informed him there are upcoming recreation-specific grants the town may be able to apply for.
“We will hope to get something going with new courts in the very near future,” Coun. Wiedenhoeft remarked.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council:
•approved a request from Northern Nutrition to put a sign on town property (the triangular strip of land on the southeast corner of Second Street East and Central Avenue);
•received Joint Emergency Preparedness Program (JEPP) funding approval for a mobile command centre in the amount of $38,136.91 (the town’s share of the $84.748.68 mobile command centre is $46,611.77, which will replace the 1975 Chrysler bus the town currently has);
•approved a recommendation from the Administration and Finance executive committee to contribute $2,631 to help reinstall the gateway banners on the Lap building (as previously reported, several of the banners were blown off the building back in January);
•approved “Building Canada” fund project applications for road, water, and sewer repairs on Front Street, road, water, and sewer repairs on Scott Street, the sewer and water component of the biomass roads project, and a new library and technology centre.
