Joy of the People (JOTP), the nonprofit youth program located at South St. Anthony Rec Center, received a $48,000 grant from U.S. Bank and the Minnesota Vikings to cover half the cost of resurfacing the center’s tennis courts with a new turf that would accommodate soccer play and tennis. If the project goes through, the two courts at 890 Cromwell Ave. would be the first in the Twin Cities to use TigerTurf, an artificial spongy turf used in Europe.
The St. Anthony Park Community Council (SAPCC) is conducting a survey in collaboration with the City of St. Paul Parks and Rec Department to help assess what the community thinks of the tennis court reconstruction. That survey can be found at www.sapcc.org/tennis-courtsreconstruction- survey/. SAPCC will give the results of the survey to JOTP and Parks and Rec. The city will ultimately decide whether or not to approve the project.
JOTP’s contract with the city requires that the tennis courts be open for public use at posted times. The program rents the rec center from the city. JOTP is hoping to form a committee in conjunction with District 12 to improve communication and collaboration between the center and residents.
Alex Manning, JOTP fundraising and community coordinator, is inviting residents to participate in the committee to brainstorm, discuss and help facilitate future projects and events at the park. The committee will work toward getting more community input about happenings at the center and establishing a consistent and collaborative dialogue between JOTP and the neighborhood, Manning said.
Email alex@joyofthepeople.org if you are interested in joining the committee or have any questions.
