Lawrence Heights scores with upgrade to basketball court

Lawrence Heights scores with upgrade to basketball court. Joel Persaud thanks the MLSE Team Up Foundation for their commitment to refurbish a basketball court in the Lawrence Heights community during a press conference at the Cabbagetown Youth Centre Tuesday afternoon. Staff photo/NICK PERRY

The foundation announced the funding at a special presentation Tuesday, Nov. 15 at the Cabbagetown Youth Centre, one of three courts in at-risk communities scheduled for upgrades.

The refurbishments will be possible through a $300,000 investment from the Team Up Foundation, the charitable arm of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE).

Through the donation, the outdoor courts in Lotherton and Scarborough Village, and an indoor court at the Cabbagetown Youth Centre will receive much-needed upgrades.

Team Up Foundation executive director Mike Bartlett said the three courts have unique needs and were identified as being in need of upgrades by leaders in the communities where they are located.

"One thing we do is we go through a consultation process with each community to find out what their unique requirements are," he said.

Raptors head coach Dwane Casey added that the refurbishment of the three courts would help make them more usable, a definite need in the at-risk communities.

"We've been young players looking for a place to go that's safe," he said. "This, for me, is very exciting because I would have loved to have a place like this to play."

Life-long Lotherton resident Joel Persaud has worked hard to help bring about repairs to the court. With help from Action for Neighbourhood Change, he and others have finally managed to secure funding for the long-overdue improvements, thanks to the Team Up Foundation.

"This is a huge dream come true," he said. "It seemed impossible because the cost was so large, but it goes to show no dream is too big."

Persaud said the court's surface is in need of work and added that one net has been knocked over and the other is very crooked. As part of the Team Up Foundation's investment, those problems will be fixed and Lotherton will soon be home to a functional regulation-size court.

"The court's been in pretty bad shape for at least five years," he said. "It gets used, but to be honest, it's a piece of crap."

Persaud added that, once it is refurbished, the court should get youth and people of all ages more involved and bring about a sense of pride to the community.

The contracts for the work on the three courts will be put out for tender shortly, with work on the indoor court expected to start soon. Bartlett said all three courts should be ready for game action before next summer.