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Second public hearing for clay courts tennis on Thursday

Clay court society trying to make its case to build courts at Cedar Hill park

A meeting to discuss the pros and cons of building a clay court tennis facility in Saanich reconvenes Thursday night.

Formal input before Saanich council began in late November, when the Cedar Hill Clay Court Tennis Society presented its proposal to build eight courts behind the Cedar Hill Rec Centre at a packed committee of the whole meeting.

Mayor Frank Leonard ended the original meeting early, saying there was no reason for council to make a hasty decision or to have residents sit and wait for everyone to speak.

Leonard says the same will go for this week's meeting.

At the Nov. 28 meeting, opponents expressed concern about a lack of meaningful public consultation, the loss of green space, the potential impacts on Bowker Creek, and the society's request for a $100,000 grant an a $250,000 interest-free loan from Saanich.

John Miller, with the tennis society, remains confident that the proposal will find support from council. He says he's looking forward to Thursday's meeting to clarify facts and address residents' concerns.

The meeting is expected to attract a large crowd and will be held in the auditorium at Garth Homer Centre (813 Darwin Ave), at 7:30 p.m.

kslavin@saanichnews.com