Council sides with the Thunder Bay Community Tennis Centre (TBCTC) desired location for the proposed indoor racquet sport facility.

The bubble will go northwest of the existing outdoor courts thanks to an amendment brought forward by an At-Large councillor.

In a report shared ahead of the meeting, staff was recommending that the group be given access to lands adjacent to the existing seasonal tennis facility on Chapples Park Drive as part of going ahead with Option 2.

The allocation from the Renew Thunder Bay reserve fund was originally pegged at $1,036,291 to make Option 2 work but General Manager of Community Services Kelly Robertson pointed out to council that the estimate was $514,000 to realign Chapples Park Drive and complete other related work.

Robertson further stated that the city calculated a $230,377 difference between going between Options 1 and 2 while the Tennis Centre’s math equaled a $170,131 margin.

“I think there are some issues, including some omissions in some of the capital and operating (costs) based on my review of the information,” Robertson said, before the vote. “I don’t see them as major issues but that would be the next step. We would refine our estimates and work together with the project manager that the TBCTC will hire.”

Administration initially favoured a site adjacent to the Chapples Park Golf Course.

Council approved up to $1.5 million from the Stabilization Reserve Fund in October 2019 for a dome on Chapples Park Drive.