Mandan’s new tennis facility is breaking ground

MANDAN, N.D. (KFYR) - Tennis is a lifelong sport that is gaining in popularity, followed closely by pickleball. And soon, people living in Mandan will have more opportunities to play year-round.

Between Mandan Parks and Rec and dozens of fundraisers and donors, the facility is becoming a reality. Tracy Porter has been working to make the new tennis facility a reality for years and can’t wait for the opening day.

“There’s been overwhelming support for the project, and it’s coming both from people who are avid players today and people who want to try and start out playing. They haven’t done it before, but they’re looking for another activity, whether it’s with their family or friends, and so that’s exciting to have that kind of response from people that they want to be here, they want to participate,” said Tracy Porter, president of the Mandan Tennis Center.

As a tennis player himself, his kids followed in his footsteps, and both played tennis in college. With their deep-rooted history in Mandan tennis, he wanted to help give back.

“It’s something that would be good for the community, and also good for us, for our family to give something back to the community,” said Porter.

Donors and partnerships have raised over $600,000 for the project, but it just recently became a solid plan.

“I’m very fortunate to have a lot of good support locally for individuals and businesses that have contributed to this project,” said Porter.

“The last six months to a year, we started having some serious discussions with Tracy Porter and his family in the park district to kind do a public-private partnership, and here we are today it’s all kicked off. We started in the spring of 2022, and we’re hoping to have it done sometime by the end of the year,” said Mandan Parks District Director Cole Higlin.

The new facility will bring in revenue for the city by hosting some of the regional and state tennis matches and other tennis and pickleball competitions.

“Our expectations for the community is to provide great quality recreational programs, but also facilities and businesses are looking for opportunities to bring people back to town,” said Higlin.

The new facility will have six indoor tennis courts with stripes for ten pickleball courts and four outdoor pickleball courts, similar to the Capital Racquet facility in Bismarck.

The facility will not have outdoor tennis courts because Mandan Middle School has outdoor tennis courts in close proximity to the center.

The new facility will cost just over $4 million, with an additional $1.8 million earmarked for additional parking for both the tennis center and the nearby Starion Sports Complex.

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