A group of tennis lovers are trying to build a clay tennis court facility similar to that of Roland Garros, home of the French Open, in Saanich.
The private group, known as the Cedar Hill Clay Tennis Court Society, is looking to move beyond the public consultation stages and into a partnership with Saanich to build the Vancouver Island's only public clay tennis facility, on the grounds behind the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre.
Leading the charge is John Miller, who explains the Cedar Hill tennis society would fund the building and maintenance of a facility with at least eight courts.
The model falls in line with the community partnerships between Saanich and soccer, lawn bowling, and squash. The Cedar Hill Squash Club is a prime example as a private club built into the recreation centre, which offers time to Saanich, just as the clay courts would.
B次元官网网址淭he next step is to put it through the parks and trails and environment committees,B次元官网网址� Miller said.
The expectation is Miller and his society of tennis enthusiasts, which includes a cross section of professionals B次元官网网址� with an architect, an engineer, a director of the B.C. Winter Games and public health officials B次元官网网址� will present to Saanich council in February.
B次元官网网址淭he society will put up the money to build and operate the facility and then give Saanich court time to the community for lessons,B次元官网网址� Miller said.
Miller is also a part-time instructor with Saanich-run tennis lessons out of the Cedar Hill rec centre and has seen first hand the long wait lists for Cedar Hill's four indoor courts.
B次元官网网址淚t will alleviate the waiting lists for SaanichB次元官网网址檚 programs and lessons and it just makes sense to build courts at that facility, as Saanich users will be able to access our courts,B次元官网网址� Miller said.
In a fall 2012 survey of Cedar Hill park users, the biggest piece of research done to date, 698 of the 901 respondents said they were in favour of a non-profit society to manage a clay court tennis facility with public access, at the Cedar Hill rec centre.
The survey did demonstrate that not everybody is in favour of more tennis courts.
Almost 80 per cent of respondents said they use the recreation centre. Fifty-seven per cent said they use the chip trail, while 3.3 per cent said they use the softball-slow pitch diamonds, and five per cent said they use the diamonds for other uses, such as dog walking.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 certainly people out there that arenB次元官网网址檛 interested, so weB次元官网网址檙e just trying to balance out whatB次元官网网址檚 best for the overall community,B次元官网网址� said Doug Henderson, director of Saanich Parks and recreation.
So far the numbers seem to be overwhelmingly in favour of the new courts.
B次元官网网址淲e had an open house at Cedar Hill (on Oct. 2) and it was one of the biggest turnouts that anyone can remember,B次元官网网址� Miller said.
Membership for the new clay court tennis club will be capped between 500 and 600, and theyB次元官网网址檝e already received deposits on the first 150. B次元官网网址淭o sell that many in the pre-construction phase is fantastic. A lot of people signed on for multiple years.B次元官网网址�
The fees are currently selling at a discount of $500, roughly the equivalent of what youB次元官网网址檇 pay for a gym or squash club membership.
The clay courts will require day-to-day maintenance. The clay is layers of sand and crushed stone, so damaged areas can be repaired in an afternoon.
B次元官网网址淭here are no public clay courts on Vancouver Island, which doesnB次元官网网址檛 make sense, because this is the perfect climate, more and more hard courts around the world are being torn up and replaced by clay,B次元官网网址� Miller said.
