EPISD to discuss sale of Northeast Tennis Center
The El Paso Independent School District Board of Trustees is scheduled to discuss the sale and agreement of the Northeast Tennis Center Property on Tuesday.
The district’s goal is on “removing the burden of maintenance of the facility,” which acquired in the 1970s, as stated on a memorandum regarding the sale.
The El Paso Community Foundation put in a bid of $125,000 to purchase facility, located at 4900 Woodrow Bean.
“That was our initial offer, and we didn’t get the opportunity to negotiate with the district over the course of more than two years,” said El Paso Community Foundation President and CEO Eric Pearson.
EPCF stated they plan to invest $250,000 to make any necessary improvements, or repairs to get the courts up to par.
An additional $190,000 is needed to refurbish the courts to prevent any future deterioration.
Pearson stressed the importance of the center for the cummunity, adding that it was originally donated for “public good.”
“Study after study shows that strong sports ethics shows you how to be a better person,” he said. “Tennis by and large is a country club sport, and there aren’t a lot of kids in this community who can afford a country club membership. In order to start playing tennis at a young age there’s very little opportunity in the community.”
Should EPISD take the offer, the memo states the district would be allotted 10 days of free use on at least 16 courts until 2043. After that year, the district’s free use days will drop to two days for use in championship games, which Pearson said would benefit the local economy.
“Getting those heads in beds, as they call it in the hotel business, getting people staying in hotels, spending money at restaurants, those kinds of things,” he explained.
The school district wrote it intends to designate the tennis center as a permanent bus stop for schools located within a 5-mile radius.
EPCF made the original proposal in Nov. 2017, and began discussions on the sale in Jan. 2018.
“If Midland has a state-of-the-art tennis center you know that El Paso is behind,” said Pearson.
