Raise a racquet and help save the courts!
Sandpoint's City Beach tennis courts are in danger of going away.
While this news probably doesn't evoke the same reaction to most readers as stories about bird flu pandemics and soaring gas and heating prices, the fact that these courts have deteriorated and may soon close for good should be a concern.
The Sandpoint Tennis Association is raising a racquet in order to save the courts.
This is a fund drive we should all support.
The Sandpoint City Council voted in 2000 to remove the courts. The STA stepped and said it would restore the courts sometime in the future.
Since then, the all-volunteer tennis association has ushered in a new popularity for tennis at the local level. The city tennis leagues have never been more full. The STA has joined with the city to offer lessons and clinics. Many people who played tennis years ago have stepped onto Sandpoint's courts in the past few years.
The only thing that hasn't happened since 2000 is that the City Beach courts haven't been repaired or replaced.
Now it is too late for a small fix.
The STA has been issued an edict — fix the courts or lose them. The STA has been given until December to raise the money.
The price to replace the existing surface and to put in new fences and lights is $30,000. So far the group has raised around $7,000. Many STA members have volunteered to speak with business owners and individuals who may want to keep this tennis treasure.
Tennis is truly an inexpensive, lifetime sport and we are lucky to have courts located next to the most beautiful lake in North America,
It would be a shame to lose those courts at the same time tennis is gaining popularity here.
The Daily Bee will be publicizing this fund drive with a tennis racquet denoting how much money has come in from donors.
If you are interested in helping to save Sandpoint's City Beach tennis courts, pledges can be made to: Sandpoint Parks and Recreation Dept., c/o City Beach tennis courts, 1123 Lake St., Sandpoint, Idaho, 83864.
David Keyes is publisher of the Bee.