The tennis courts at Winkler's Lion Fred Rietze Memorial Park are receiving a much needed rehabilitation. The tenders for the project have been awarded, and Community Services Director Jordan Driedger expects the work to be completed by the end of this year.

"We've awarded the project to Wintech, so they will be coming in, and there there's some base work that needs to be done with that tennis court," explained Driedger. "You'll see the existing surface being ripped out, kind of redo the base of the tennis courts, and then Prairie Surfacing will be coming in to do the top layer surface. Currently, some of the concerns with the tennis courts are lots of cracking. The surface has become somewhat uneven. It's chipping away in some areas, so this kind of rehabilitation will take care of some of those issues. Once the project is complete, you'll see a much nicer surface to play on, more conducive to tennis, as well pickleball."

Once the project is completed, the existing two tennis courts will remain, with a total of six pickleball courts painted onto the courts, as well.

The tennis courts at Winkler's, Lion Fred Rietze Memorial Park   

Driedger notes there's also been discussion about the courts next to the Winkler Aquatic Centre.

"I know we've talked about could there ever be improvements made to the campground," he said. "We've looked at that location for the tennis courts, and is that the best location. We recognize those tennis courts, too, especially the surface, is coming to the end of its life, so there may need to be some work done there. Our focus, right now, was on Lions Park, and that way we have a tennis court that is up to standard within our community, and then then we'll turn our focus to these other tennis courts."

- With files from Pam Fedack - 

Lion Fred Rietze Memorial Park in Winkler