A big congratulations to Garden City Colligate and the surrounding community on the opening of their new 7 court tennis facility. The courts (4 newly surfaced, 3 remaining) were unveiled on Monday, June 4th just in time for students, teachers and the public to enjoy some great tennis on a wonderful day.

City TV was covering the opening of the new facility where a press conference was held headed by school staff and all of the people who made it possible to put up the courts. The courts are nicely surfaced with a safer surface than many outdoor public courts. This serves as a great addition to Winnipeg’s public tennis court community. Hopefully this idea for safe and physical recreation is adopted by other Winnipeg communities as well.

The following is the press release provided by the City of Winnipeg and Province of Manitoba:

GARDEN CITY COLLEGIATE ENJOYS NEW TENNIS COURTS FUNDED THROUGH THE MANITOBA-WINNIPEG BUILDING COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE

Local tennis players of all ages and abilities can now enjoy the newly upgraded courts at Garden City Collegiate thanks to the Building Communities Initiative (BCI) funding agreement between the Province of Manitoba and City of Winnipeg, Local Government Minister Ron Lemieux and Mayor Sam Katz announced today.

“These new tennis courts will give novices and seasoned players a safe place to enjoy their game and give community members another good reason to go outside, stay active and keep fit,” said Lemieux. “As we work together to improve recreational facilities, we demonstrate our shared goals of improving community assets, encouraging healthy lifestyles, revitalizing neighbourhoods and offering positive activity choices for everyone.”

BCI funding provided $150,000 cost-shared equally by the city and province for renovations to four tennis courts at the site including resurfacing, posts, nets, lines and fencing. The Seven Oaks School Division also provided $60,000 toward the replace the old basketball court at this site.

“The upgrading of these courts is another example of government working together to provide Winnipeggers more venues for outdoor recreation and for playing tennis in a safe and welcoming environment,” said Katz. “We encourage residents to be active and try out the new courts this summer.”

Since 2010, BCI funding of $10 million has been committed to 39 approved neighbourhood infrastructure projects throughout Winnipeg and work on many of the projects has been completed. The Building Communities Initiative is a multi-year, cost-shared capital initiative developed jointly by the Province of Manitoba and the City of Winnipeg. The goal of BCI is to support community revitalization through improvements to local community infrastructure in targeted older neighbourhoods and contribute to the vitality, safety and health of communities throughout the city.