Some residents living near Jarry Park are gearing up for a fight to prevent a retractable roof from being built at the IGA stadium there. They're concerned that will pave the way for more noisy concerts and events.
Tennis Canada is pushing for a $70M roof that it says in their submission to the Quebec Registry of Lobbyists would "attract more tennis fans and create a unique amphitheatre for more events and more diversity of attractions."
"The citizens are, of course, really worried," said Michel Lafleur of the Friends of Jarry Park Coalition which reached out to yourstory@cjad.com.
"You know we're talking about an amphitheatre that will have something like 11,000 places."
Lafleur said they've made a sacrifice for ten days of tennis but they won't let their park be taken over the rest of the summer along with spring and fall.
"It's not a neigbourhood park anymore — it's not very pleasant, it's full of people, it's very crowded," said Lafleur.
Lafleur said a recent information meeting with Tennis Canada did nothing to ease their worries.
Tennis Canada told CJAD 800 they've heard the concerns and are in talks with the city.
"We are studying the possibility of building a roof on the central court of the IGA Stadium to ensure the sustainability of the Rogers Cup in Montreal and at the same time the development of tennis in Canada since all profits from the tournament are reinvested in the development of the sport," said Tennis Canada in a statement, calling the meeting with residents "positive."
They also pointed out that while some residents talked about the negative impact of the project, others said that in order to make the investment worthwhile, they would have to think about holding new events.
Lafleur said they're also concerned that borough elected officials at a council meeting last week would not commit to a bylaw protecting the views of Mount Royal.
"The coalition is getting organized to show that this project won't have the social acceptability," said Lafleur.
The city of Montreal says no decisions have been made as yet — it would only say they've been meeting with Tennis Canada to study what they're asking for.