Valley Tennis Academy in Mission seeking new training facility
A tennis organization in Mission is searching for a new place to practice after they said a change in ownership at the previous facility caused them to lose access.
They’re now looking for a permanent training spot.
The Valley Tennis Academy in Mission said their lease that allowed them access to the Cimarron Golf Course and tennis facilities was amended in August by the Mission Economic Development Organization, the new owners of the property.
The amendment set an end date of Oct. 31st that cut off their access to the courts they've used for four years.
“The day before, a text message was sent to let us know,” Valley Tennis Academy coach Ivan Magadan said. “We didn’t even get an official letter from the city."
The Valley Tennis Academy has 150 members. They're now practicing at Bentsen Palm Park, but some members say the commute is an issue for some. They also said the park courts don't compare to where they used to practice.
“The lights you see here were installed by us, the bathrooms are in poor condition and also have no lighting,” Magadan said.
Channel 5 News reached out to the Mission EDC for comment. A spokesperson said the academy was told about their amended lease a month before the new contract end date, and that they're in the process of selling the 200-acre course and facilities to a private buyer.
For now, the Valley Tennis Academy said they're working to adjust and hope their organization can return to Cimarron in the future.
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