Residents want restrictions on private bookings for some Halifax tennis courts

Janine Meade, who lives nearby, said she was not opposed to holding private lessons, but said there needed to be a better balance between private and community access.

“Throughout the summer, Monday through Saturday, it just doesn’t look right,” Meade said.

“Really, if there’s only one court in the neighborhood, it shouldn’t be the first to be booked out. The policy needs to change.”

Jamie Power agrees that balance must be exercised.

His company, Headstart, has taught tennis to hundreds of children each year for the past 10 years. Power regularly books court time at St.Mary’s Boat Club, which has three courses.

“You don’t want to throw away lessons because people want to learn how to play sports,” Power said. “But the public needs to have access to gaming. Everyone needs to work together to achieve a balance that most people are happy with.”

Tennis Time is a company that has booked field time for Larry O’Connell Park. It has also booked tennis courts at Halifax Common, Portland Estates and Tremont Plateau Park in Clayton Park West.

David Greer owns the company. He has been playing and coaching tennis for decades.

He moved from Westmount’s multi-court office to Larry O’Connell’s simple court for COVID-19 security reasons.

He said he will book from 9am to 4pm and doesn’t think it will interfere much with access to the community.

“You can shoot a cannon off these courts during the day,” Greer said. “The Halifax area has 102 courts. It is the highest per capita in the country.”

Greer said the actual use of the courts depends on registration, so there may be some days when he only uses a few hours, but he will book the whole day if lessons need to be postponed because of rain.

He said other public spaces, such as halls and fields, are also reserved by private companies.

Halifax West Armdale City Councilor Shawn Cleary believes HRM staff are already considering recreational use on the premises, but they are doing so in a broader context.

“If you think about the bigger picture outside your community, there are a lot of courts on offer on a regular basis,” he said.

Cleary blames part of the problem for the increased interest in outdoor activities due to the pandemic.

He points out that the fees charged to all individuals who rent HRM leisure facilities may soon change. HRM staff has reviewed the fees for the past two years and a report is expected in July.

Currently, tennis courts can be booked all day for $ 28. Tennis time costs $ 90 plus HST for adult lessons. Group classes for adults are $ 30 plus HST, while group classes for children are $ 20 plus HST.

Greer is concerned about the report on fees, particularly that it will be in a difficult year for downtime.

Power said it was prepared for some of the increases, but he is concerned that the fees will rise too high for the company to take over.

“The draft report I saw two years ago included a 400 percent increase in our fees, which would take us out of business,” he said.

Meanwhile, Meade thinks that talking about salary changes is not responsible for access to his and his neighbors ’hobbies.

“We want to be able to use our own local facilities, which taxpayers pay for,” Meade said.