The tennis courts at Island Park in Portage la Prairie will soon be refreshed and ready for fall action.

Work's underway to repair cracking and resurface two of the four courts and should be complete by Labour Day Long. The remaining surfaces are due to be finished in early September. According to Tennis Court Revitalization Committee Chair Travis Foster, the repair work costs around $30,000.

Large heaves, depressions and cracks have all been patched on two Island Park tennis courts. The courts will be resurfaced later this week.

"For anybody that has stepped over there, it was getting to the point where it had to be done before some very large structural issues would start happening and we'd have to dig deeper," says Foster. "At this point we can fill cracks and fix some of the heaves so we keep the weather out. Now we can hopefully keep them pristine."

Foster says the fundraising goal of $30,000 was surpassed through contributions from the Community Foundation of Portage and District ($18,000), Portage Rotary Club ($10,000), Portage Lions Club ($5,000) and Portage Plains United Way ($1,000). The extra funds will allow four new nets to be purchased. Also, the Tennis Court Revitalization Committee's looking to purchase a number of racquets to be available for use on loan from Stride Place.

"Similar to disc golf, where you can go and leave collateral behind, they'll loan you out the discs," Foster explains. "We're hoping to do that same thing with the tennis racquets, so it will really be a free sport for anybody to go over there and do."

See related stories:

"Island Park Tennis Court Revitalization Moves Forward"

"Committee Aims to Repair Public Tennis Courts"