Niagara Falls city council okays clean-up costs around new tennis dome

Niagara Falls City Council has okayed the clean-up costs necessary for John N. Allen Park prior to the installation of a dome that will allow for year-round tennis play.

Following up on a report written in May, Niagara Falls gave the okay to Tennis Clubs of Canada (TCC) to construct an air-inflated dome over the tennis courts at the park during the fall and winter each year.

However, the deal in which TCC agreed to put the dome up free of charge, was contingent on some repairs by the city to the area surrounding the courts, including paving 48 parking spots, improving the exterior lot light and some drainage work.

While the initial report estimated the repairs at roughly $250,000, it turns out the actual number is $320,000. Though that’s not a significant bump, the one catch is that these negotiations with TCC didn’t begin until January, long after the 2023 Capital Budget was finalized.

That will mean an amendment to the ongoing budget “to approve funding for the works in advance of the 2024 Capital Budget Process to allow the works to be completed before the winter season, to align with the tennis dome
installation.”

Whether that is offset by a budget line item in 2024 was never clarified. However, since council gave the thumbs-up to the repairs, which are basically just patch-work, city staff suggested the tender date for finding the company could be put out in late July “with the expectation to meet substantial completion prior to the dome installation by Tennis Clubs of Canada for the 2023 winter season.”

TCC, which will manage the tennis dome, said memberships and bookings will be priced “at an affordable rate,” as well as discounted for Niagara Falls residents.

The city was attracted to the deal since TCC was footing the costs of the dome, including installation and upkeep, as well as the fact that Niagara Region only currently has 10 indoor tennis courts for winter use, none of which are located in Niagara Falls.

It is expected the City will see $10,000 in new revenues from the tennis dome in the first year with that number jumping by three per cent annually in subsequent years.