ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The city of Rock Island is teaming up with Augustana College on a $1.5 million tennis complex.
The project will include six National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tennis courts on land adjacent to to campus at 38th Street and 11th Avenue. Other additions include court lights, bleachers, restrooms and 17 parking spots.
Rock Island is leasing the land to the school for 10 years, with an option to renew. Augustana will pay for any improvements to the courts.
News 8's Charles Hart spoke with Augustana's President Andrea Talentino who said this project is a big long term step for the schools athletic Department.
"It's going to be a really nice area for family, friends, supporters to come cheer students on," Talentino said. "It's right across from a number of our student dorms. And so it's gonna be really easy for students to get out and see their friends and kind of root them on, [It will] be really easy for students to go play tennis to."
News 8 also spoke with Augustana's Chief Financial Officer Kirk Anderson who said the courts won't just be for student athletes.
"The agreement basically says that anytime there's competition matches or practice matches, that Augustana will have first use of those," Anderson said. "But outside of that, the facility will be open to, you know, all community members, you know, particularly in the summer, when people tend to play the most tennis, it'll be available to everybody."
Construction will start in spring of 2023, and is slated to be done by Labor Day 2023. Construction is being done by a Quad Cities construction company, Estes Construction.
A groundbreaking ceremony is being held at the tennis courts Wednesday, May 24 at 9 a.m.