The City of Meadow Lake is taking over the responsibility of maintaining and operating the tennis courts on Seventh Avenue. (Submitted photo/City of Meadow Lake)

By Elliott Knopp

Tennis Courts

City of Meadow Lake taking over tennis court management

Sep 28, 2021 | 2:06 PM

Meadow Lake City Council has agreed to a proposal from the Meadow Lake Tennis Association that resulted in the city taking on the responsibility of maintaining and operating the playing surface.

Along with turning over responsibilities, the tennis association will also give the city over $15,000 which is expected to be used to help fund an eventual replacement of the playing surface.

This proposal comes after a meeting between the volunteers at the association where they decided they would not be able to adequately care for the venue.

In a letter to council, the group mentioned interest in the sport had gradually declined from its peak after the 2012 Summer Games, and that turning over the courts to the city would better serve the facility and the people who use it.

With the courts under their management, parks and recreation manager Regan Beck stated this provides an opportunity to modify the current venue to make it more versatile.

Seniors Scene

Christmas is Coming

15h ago

Grey Cup!!!

Everything you wanted and more

Nov 21, 2025

12 Best Tips to Spend Less at Christmas

Nov 18, 2025

“I believe the best plan of action when we do resurface it, is that we convert one, if not two, of the tennis courts into pickleball courts,” he said. “You can have more functionality for it. One tennis court can turn into four pickleball courts fairly seamlessly.”

He explained converting one tennis court into a pickleball court would still provide the tennis association with enough courts to accommodate tournaments.

When the time comes for the playing surface to be upgraded, the city will be looking at a bill that could run over $40,000 to renovate all of the playing surfaces, which are estimated to cost nearly $10,000 per surface.

Another potential expense with the venue would be a replacement of the windscreens placed along the fence surrounding the surfaces. Beck mentioned the windscreens at the facility are in poor condition, are frequently displaced by wind and are simply not a high-quality product.

“Compared to the wind screens that were put on the ball diamonds this last summer, the thickness compared to the ones at the diamonds would be a fraction,” he said.

Now that the city is taking over maintenance and operation, Beck highlighted venue security as one of the items of concern. With the price tag of the playing surface carrying some weight to it, protecting the surface from preventable damage such as skateboards and improper footwear would be in the best interest of protecting the city’s investment.

Currently, the courts can only be unlocked by people with an annual membership, but how the facility will be utilized moving forward has not been determined.

—

elliott.knopp@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ElliottKnopp