Plans for a racquet centre in Okotoks took a leap forward following a six-figure donation from a local builder.
The Integrity Group, an Okotoks-area construction company, presented $250,000 to the Okotoks Pickleball & Tennis Centre on Aug. 16.
Representatives from Integrity, the proposed centre and the Town of Okotoks gathered at the site off 32 Street to announce the donation.
Plans for the facility include 12 indoor and 12 outdoor pickleball courts, two outdoor tennis courts, a restaurant and bar, change rooms and viewing areas.
Integrity Post Structures, a division of Integrity Group, will build the facility.
Pickleball centre president Ryan Sawatzky said the organization is excited to move the project forward and is optimistic that construction on the indoor portion of the centre can start next spring.
Community support for the project has been incredible since fundraising efforts began, Sawatzky said.
“We feel very, very fortunate about the level of support that we’ve received and the encouragement from everybody that we’ve talked to,” he said. “The community spirit here has been second to none.”
Integrity Group was started in the Okotoks area, said co-owner Shanna Groeneveld. With over 200 employees who live, work and play in the area, Groeneveld said the company is pleased to be able to give back to the community.
The racquet centre is a partnership between the non-profit pickleball centre and the Town of Okotoks, and Mayor Tanya Thorn welcomed the donation from Integrity.
“That is a tell of what makes our community so awesome and unique," Thorn said. "We all work together for a common cause."
The donation will be matched, and a $500,000 matching fund from an Alberta family has been "all but maxed out," due to the success of fundraising efforts, Sawatzky said.
The $10-million racquet centre will be built through donations and grant funding and will be operated under a 30-year agreement with the Town of Okotoks.
