EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) -
If all goes as planned, Wesselman Park will soon be expanding their tennis courts.
A group from the Evansville Community Tennis Association petitioned the Parks Board to approve the master plan for adding several new courts.
Around 100 tennis balls autographed by local players were set before the Parks Board at Wednesday afternoon's meeting.
Each represented a tennis player from the Evansville area who was interested in having more places to swing a racquet. Some players say from time to time they have difficulty finding a space to play.
"By eight o'clock this morning every one of these courts was busy with adults on one side and juniors on the other," instructor Anna Hazlett says.
President of the Evansville Community Tennis Association Terry Clements says they have had a lease with the Parks Board for several years with an understanding that the facilities would expand.
Clements says the expansion would include six additional outdoor courts and building a facility that would include six indoor courts. Clements says that would allow their teams to host more events.
"We can bring in higher level youth tournaments, higher level adult tournaments, and actually be able to do them when there's snow on the ground," Clements says.
He says it would help bring visitors into the Evansville area therefore assisting with tourism.
Another advantage he says is that the $2.2 million project would come from donations to the Evansville Community Tennis Association. But he says anyone would still be welcome to play.
"It's a public facility, it goes back to the public okay? It's part of the lease. It goes back to Evansville," Clements says.
Clements says their main goal is just to foster the love of the game and is glad the Parks Board saw the potential.
Clements says their next step is to now take their plan before the CVB and see if they could get additional support for the building project.
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