CORRECTION: A previous version of this article incorrectly named the representative of the Georgian Bay Community Racquet Centre. This has been corrected. CollingwoodToday apologizes for the error.
The future of a small property containing a formerly private tennis club is serving up controversy in the Town of The Blue Mountains.
At its committee of the whole meeting on Dec. 10, The Blue Mountains council received a delegation from the Georgian Bay Community Racquet Centre requesting that the town construct two additional courts and eventually a dome enclosure over the courts on the 130 King Street property in Thornbury, which was once the home of the private Cameron Shores Tennis Club.
Kev Rostami, of the Racquet Centre, made a presentation to council that requested the town consider adding two extra courts to the property (there are two existing outdoor courts already at the location) and eventually building a dome structure over them to allow year-round tennis in the community.
Rostami described a “tennis desert” in the local area and said the 130 King Street property is the perfect solution. He said the two existing courts on the property would significantly lower the town’s costs and said the project his group envisions could be completed for the $365,000 the town has in its budget.
“It’s the ideal spot,” he said. “This site can serve everybody.”
Rostami’s presentation envisioned that 38 per cent of the property would be used for tennis facilities, while 62 per cent would remain available for parkland and other greenspace amenities.
However, the presentation from the Racquet Club stirred up significant controversy in the community. The council chambers were packed for the Racquet Centre’s presentation and the public comment portion of the meeting was dominated by more than a dozen speakers making comments about the presentation. The comments were divided almost evenly between those in support of the concept and those opposed.
A number of local residents sent comments to the town to be read during the meeting that expressed significant opposition to the proposal. Council also received multiple letters of opposition from local residents.
“There are so many reasons why this proposed use of this property via this deputation is so wrong. This is a large residential area in the Town of The Blue Mountains with no parkland/greenspace (as you have previously heard),” Catherine Sholtz wrote in a letter to council. “My neighbours and I have advocated for this land to be a passive use with a couple of outdoor tennis courts and surrounded by parkland/greenspace.”
The 2.9-acre property has been the long-time home of the private Cameron Shores Tennis Club, which had an agreement to lease the land from the town. The property is town-owned with a small access off of Peel Street.
In 2023, the tennis club approached the town about extending the lease as they wanted to get a long-term commitment in place in order to plan for the replacement of the aging tennis courts.
At that time, council rejected continuing to lease the property to the tennis club. The town has funds and plans to build new tennis courts somewhere in the community in the near future.
In November, council authorized a $10,000 expense to conduct public engagement about the future of the property.
Council took no action on the presentation other than to receive the delegation and requested a follow-up report from staff. Ryan Gibbons, the town’s director of community services, said he expected to have a report about the results of the public engagement process back to council by the end of the first quarter of 2025.
