Tennis raising funds to build new courts

The Columbia Falls tennis program has started a GoFundMe campaign to build new tennis courts at the high school. The program currently uses the city-owned courts at Columbus Park, but the surface, which is plastic, isn’t ideal, noted boys’ tennis coach Michele Colliander.

The ball has a tendency to skid when it hits the surface, rather than bounce straight up. In addition, moss grows between the asphalt and the plastic.

“Tennis is a way of life. I am writing as one of the head coaches for the Columbia Falls High School, a school I graduated from back in 1997. I’ve come full circle; from player to state champion to head coach, and now I’m asking for your help on behalf of my players,” coach Colliander wrote on the GoFundMe page.

All told, new tennis courts would cost about $50,000 to $70,000 per court, and optimally Colliander would like to see six to eight new courts.

The total cost would be about $300,000. The campaign, which just started, has raised about $1,000 to date.