Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009

City will finance tennis center upgrade

Columbia City Council members approved Wednesday an upgrade to the Columbia Tennis Center, using money left over from a 2004 hospitality tax bond issue.

It's unclear how much the project will cost. Senior assistant city manager Allison Baker said $1 million is available.

Council members are under pressure to restore funding to two fire stations and were concerned residents would be angry with their vote to spend the money to fix the tennis courts and complete Southeast Park.

But city manager Steve Gantt said the money from the bond issue has strict limitations and could not be used for the fire department.

- Adam Beam

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