Worcester Tennis Club Loses Out on Newton Hill Deal

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Wednesday, June 24, 2015

GoLocalWorcester News Team

City Manager Ed Augustus announced on Tuesday afternoon that the deal between the City of Worcester and the Worcester Tennis Club to occupy and upgrade the tennis courts at Newton Hill have fallen through.

As GoLocalWorcester reported in April, the two sides announced that they had come to agreement on working together to reconstruct the tennis courts at Newton Hill and provide a permanent home for the WTC.

However, Augustus released the following statement regarding the inability to come to an agreement with the WTC:

Last year, my office was approached by the Worcester Tennis Club, which was selling their longtime home on Sever Street and looking for a new place to play. They were willing to contribute up to $500,000 from the sale of their property to improve public facilities, and so I was willing to investigate whether an agreement could be reached to keep them in Worcester while improving and expanding some of our older public tennis facilities. My goal in these discussions was always to expand and enhance amenities for the community as a whole.

Unfortunately, after weeks of discussions, we have been unable to come to an agreement that would accomplish that goal and allow the tennis club the number of clay courts they believe are needed to stay financially viable.

I appreciate the energy and long hours put in by my staff and the leadership of the Worcester Tennis Club, and the club’s willingness to stay in Worcester and use their own funds to create a public benefit. I wish them all the best in finding a new home.

This proposal did not ultimately come together, but my administration will continue to search out creative solutions that leverage private resources to increase opportunities for the entire community.