Tennis, Anyone? City Council Says 'Game On'

V1 Staff |

The Eau Claire City Council has unanimously approved the Eau Claire YMCA’s plan to build a tennis center near the entrance to Carson Park. The city sold the property, near the intersection of Menomonie Street and Carson Park Drive, to the YMCA in 2008 as a site for a future new YMCA building. However, that plan never reached fruition, and last year home improvement billionaire John Menard pledged to help the YMCA build a new tennis center on the site. The approximately $10 million facility will include eight indoor and four outdoor tennis courts. According to the agreement approved by the council, the YMCA will give the city back about 3 acres of land on the site for use as a city parking lot. The tennis center is expected to be built by the end of 2017, but before construction can begin a final site plan must be OK’d by the city Plan Commission, the Waterways and Parks Commission, and the City Council, which should happen in September. Meanwhile, Menard will take ownership of the existing tennis center site, 229 Moore St.