Florida Lake: Tennis courts upgrade announced
The community objected to the upgrade, saying that without additional security, it will be vandalised.
The long-abandoned tennis courts at Florida Lake are set to undergo a transformation this month.
This was revealed during a community meeting on June 3 called by Ward 70 councillor Caleb Finn.
According to Finn, the work forms part of phase three of the Florida Lake Park upgrade programme undertaken by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoos (JCPZ) since 2021.
“They have already done upgrades to the play area on the western side of the lake, and now they are announcing a partial upgrade of the old tennis courts,” he says.
Unfortunately, there is a catch: The work has to be completed by the end of June.
Also read: Florida Lake development breaks grounds
According to Hilda Thaba JCPZ liaison officer for Region C, a contractor was appointed for the project, which has a budget of R1.4m, provided it is spent before July.
“The project will consist of the revamping of two of the existing old tennis courts into a multi-purpose combi-court, fencing around the courts, and the transformation of the existing old changerooms into an ablution facility.”
Meeting attendees, consisting of community members, representatives from local small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and residents’ forums, expressed their dissatisfaction with the short time frame afforded to the project and the lack of additional security to look after the new facilities.
Florida Block Watch chairperson John Kirsten expressed doubt that the project could be undertaken at all in such a limited time frame.
Former ward councillor Dave Dewes called the rushed announcement disrespectful both to the local SMMEs and the Florida community.
“Did someone just wake up one morning and realise R1.4m is lying around that needs to be spent in a hurry?
“Florida Lake desperately needs this sort of initiative, but we have a responsibility to ensure that it happens sustainably.”
Finn stepped in amid a flurry of complaints from the floor, saying that, while the last-minute nature of the project is not ideal, Florida cannot afford to lose the investment, and that it is important the project is seen through.
A number of other challenges were raised, the most prominent being security.
According to Florida South Residents Association chairperson Rodney Churchyard there is no point in doing the revamp at all if security at Florida Lake is not adjusted accordingly.
“Look at how the palisade fencing around the lake is stolen. The same will happen here if City Parks does not have a plan to secure this new facility.”
Thaba urged the community to ‘take ownership’ of the new facilities, reiterating that there is no budget for additional security.
