HOW THE MANDAN TENNIS CENTER WENT FROM UNLIKELY DREAM TO REALITY holy-buckets-we-might-actually-getit-done levels of possibility in 2021, had lost its momentum.
In September of 2021, Tracy Porter was disappointed. The project he had spent hundreds of hours on—an indoor tennis and pickleball facility designed for more access to play for the Bismarck-Mandan community—had been canned. Denied. Shot down. Put on the chopping block. This project, which had gone from piein-the-sky, if-we-had-a-magic-genie levels of possibility in 2019-2020 to
After creating a business model and finance structure that would place the facility’s financial responsibility on sponsorships, user fees, and private funding, and after making proposals that had support from the Mandan Park District and Mandan School District, there was one problem: there was nowhere to put it. The
facility’s location was crucial because it needed to be easily accessible for both Bismarck and Mandan residents, but no unoccupied Park District property fit the description. User groups of other possible locations met Tracy’s requests with polite messages of, “Thanks, but no.” So it was done—a good try, a good idea, a valiant effort—but it was done. Enter Bob Kupper. The former car dealership entrepreneur and community-minded property owner had a meeting scheduled with Cole Higlin, Mandan Park District Executive Director, to discuss the Park District’s recent purchase of
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FEBRUARY 2024