Photo: District of Summerland

Left to Right: Deputy Mayor Erin Trainer, Jake McAstocker, Director of Engineering and GIS Services, Summerland School District Trustee Dave Stathers, Mayor Doug Holmes, Councillor Janet Peake, Councillor Richard Barkwill

The District of Summerland and School District 67 celebrated the official opening of three new tennis courts on Friday.

After the Summerland Parks & Recreation Master Plan identified that the area 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, council made it a priority in the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan.

The district and SD67 entered into a partnership to replace the Summerland Secondary School’s tennis courts which had fallen into disrepair.

The district said this 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 also two post sleeves built in the east tennis court for the potential phased addition of basketball hoops.

According to the district, the project budget was $301,000, which included $100,000 from SD 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.