Salmon Arm tennis players may soon have the ability to hit the courts year round.
Municipal council agreed to have the city co-sign a $750,000 loan from the Salmon Arm Savings and Credit Union to the Salmon Arm Tennis Club for the construction of an indoor tennis facility.
Council voted Tuesday morning to initiate an alternative approval process that will give Salmon Arm residents the opportunity to petition against the city co-signing the loan. To succeed, 10 per cent of the electorate, or 1,336 people, would need to sign the counter-petition by Oct. 28.
If the counter-petition is successful, council would then have to decide whether or not to proceed to a full referendum on the issue.
Prior to voting, Salmon Arm Tennis Club representatives Ken Hecker and Winston Pain presented a business case to council for the construction of a three-court indoor facility at the club’s current location near Little Mountain Park.
The presentation included the club’s plans for the new building, a history of the club’s partnership with the city and its expansion over time.
The indoor court building will feature a viewing area, handicapped-accessible washrooms and an administrative office along with the three new courts.
Hecker outlined the tennis club’s major capital projects in the past, including the resurfacing of their courts every five years and the installation of lighting for the courts in 2005.
“We have had a 39-year history of managing capital projects and we have successfully conducted community events throughout those 39 years,” Hecker said.
The presentation also outlined the business case, including the $390,455 the club has already raised, the $383,458 they plan to raise through corporate naming rights of the building and other measures and the importance of the $750,000 loan to the success of the construction project.
Wallace Thompson, a 2016 Salmon Arm Secondary grad, who teaches tennis lessons for the club, spoke about the benefits of an indoor facility for youth tennis, particularly making teams from Salmon Arm more competitive against teams from areas with indoor courts.
Council unanimously approved a motion to co-sign the loan following discussion concerning the public availability of the courts and the degree of scrutiny the plan was coming under from the lender.
Coun. Kevin Flynn expressed concerns about Coun. Ken Jamieson’s unexpected absence for what could be a precedent-setting decision, about the accessibility of the club for non-members and about the business plan’s lack of a worst-case scenario.
“I’m not in favour of making a decision without that worst-case analysis by the lender or their analysis of the risk, ignoring the city signing, because they have no risk if the city signs. I don’t think they’ve looked at it that closely,” Flynn said.
Flynn said he was in favour of approving the loan guarantee at a later date after acquiring more information. Flynn introduced an amendment to the motion delaying a decision which was defeated by his fellow councillors.
Coun. Louise Wallace Richmond said she wanted to ensure the larger community is benefitting from the club, not just tennis players, before backing the motion. She suggested offering tennis lessons to school children in the same way skating and swimming sessions are provided.
“We’re a community in British Columbia that always punches above our weight with all of our facilities and all of our volunteer groups,” noted Coun. Chad Eliason.
Eliason spoke in favour of co-signing the loan, mentioning the numerous other sports and recreation activities the city subsidizes from their own budget.
“One of the key rules in doubles tennis is you move with your partner and cover the middle. I think that we do have a partnership here. I think on the whole, the plan covers the middle from my perspective,” said Coun. Tim Lavery.
“I will vote in support, but I don’t think we’ve done our homework here,” Flynn said at the end of a long discussion.
Coun. Alan Harrison excused himself from the discussion because of a conflict of interest related to his long-term involvement with the tennis club.
According to the City of Salmon Arm’s chief administrative officer Carl Bannister, the issue of the tennis court loan was moved to a special council meeting due to the anticipated length of the discussion.