THE OLD tennis courts on the corner of Kalum and Paul Clark Drive have been refurbished to contain a basketball court and ball hockey space.
The idea came from the city’s youth advisory committee, says Kim MacDougall, a city leisure services program supervisor who acts as the liaison between the city and the committee.
“We then applied for a grant from the rotary club for $7,000 – the fence alone was $5,000,” said MacDougall of purchases, which include basketball nets and ball hockey nets.
Fencing was needed to separate the basketball court from the ball hockey area.
“And the roller derby club uses this space as well,” said MacDougall of the Northern Nightmares.
Built decades ago, the tennis courts haven’t been used for that purpose for some time.
MacDougall did point out there remains two tennis courts within the city – one run by the school district on Straume in the horseshoe and one on the bench adjacent to Heritage Park.
There will be basketball nets available in the Sportsplex just up the hill from the play area and those who wish to borrow one have only to leave some identification, said MacDougall.
The youth advisory committee has also organized a dance and last fall organized a food bank drive.
Last year its idea to add art downtown turned into a mural on the side of the washrooms at George Little Park.
“A number of our members are now graduating and moving on. We definitely need new members,” she said of the committee.