Stouffville track project over budget
Interest in forming tennis club at arena court

YorkRegion.com
July 22, 2014
Sandra Bolan

Refurbishing the Stouffville Arena’s track and tennis courts went over budget by $8,800.

The costs are associated with the addition of park benches outside the tennis courts and restoring the Connell-Franklin track’s donor wall.

Half of the project’s original cost - $371,250, was paid for with grant money from the federal government’s Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund. The municipality paid the other half.

The project consisted of refurbishing the track and three tennis courts, as well as adding a fourth court and lighting at the Ninth Line park,

Staff is asking council to cover the $8,800 overrun with funds from the municipality’s park trust account. They are expected to make a decision during this afternoon’s meeting.

The track and tennis court’s improvements were substantially complete last fall. However, poor weather conditions impaired the contractor’s ability to finish it before the start of the track meet season this year.

The track was still deemed usable and the meets were held.

In the meantime, a portion of the track’s newly laid topcoat peeled off. The final coating is anticipated to be applied by the end of this month, according to the report.

The track installation comes with a two-year warranty by the contractor, according to the report.

With the new court and lighting, a local group of residents now want to create a tennis club that would operate in partnership with the municipality to provide lessons and services, similar to the Ballantrae Tennis Club, according to the report.

Efforts are underway to accommodate this, including transforming the nearby storage facility into a clubhouse, according to the report.

Tuesday’s council meeting begins at 1 p.m.