MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) —The Town of Mount Pleasant is breaking ground on a major expansion at the Mugsy Kerr Tennis Complex, one of the final projects tied to the town’s 2022 parks and recreation referendum.
Town leaders say the project is designed to meet growing demand for recreational space as Mount Pleasant’s population and need for community space continue to increase.
The expansion includes four new hard courts, two clay courts, additional restroom facilities and Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility upgrades at the tennis complex on Whipple Road.
The Town of Mount Pleasant is breaking ground on a major expansion at the Mugsy Kerr Tennis Complex, one of the final projects tied to the town’s 2022 parks and recreation referendum. Town leaders say the project is designed to meet growing demand for recreational space as Mount Pleasant’s population continues to increase.(Live 5 News)
The project is funded through the town’s $50 million parks and recreation referendum, which voters narrowly approved in November 2022. Town officials said the tax amounts to about $6.67 a month or $80 a year for the owner of a $500,000 county tax-assessed home.
Much of the referendum funding is dedicated to the future Gary Santos Park on Rifle Range Road, a planned $40 million sports complex expected to include outdoor sports fields, an indoor gymnasium, playground space and other amenities. Additional referendum projects include Mount Pleasant Way multiuse paths, Park West pool renovations and land preservation efforts.
Town recreation leaders said most of the referendum projects are already underway, with only a handful of items remaining.
“We have a few more boxes to be checked, but we’re working along those five items,” TJ Rostin said. TJ Rostin is the recreation director for the Town of Mount Pleasant.
Rostin said he does not expect another parks and recreation referendum to appear on the ballot anytime soon and believes the current projects will be sufficient to meet the community’s needs for years to come.
Rostin said the town’s existing tennis facilities are struggling to keep up with demand.
“We’re adding more courts at Mugsy Kerr because of the abundance of players that we have and all the different leagues,” Rostin said. “We have youth leagues, adult leagues, senior leagues. We accommodate some of the local high school tennis programs as well. So, being able to provide more court space. Right now our waiting list is hundreds of people long.”
Rostin said town leaders are excited to continue investing in recreational opportunities for residents and families.
“We’re really excited about these investments in recreation in the town,” Rostin said. “We have such a family, kid-friendly community here and it’s always nice for those to have great facilities to attend and also enough facilities for those folks to be able to utilize all the programs that we offer.”
Rostin said recreation programs are an important quality-of-life service for residents.
“Recreation is one of those town services that people choose to do,” Rostin said. “They want to do this on their leisure time. They want to do this in their free time.”
Rostin said the town’s overall recreation system is expanding alongside Mount Pleasant’s rapid growth.
“Our town is expanding. We do have quite a few folks that already live here and we obviously have more folks moving here,” Rostin said. “We try to expand in terms of all of our facilities to make sure we have enough in each section of town and trying to keep up with the growth is obviously a challenge sometimes, but I think we’re doing a pretty good job overall.”
Town leaders said the project is expected to take up to one year to complete.
Meanwhile, Gary Santos Park, the centerpiece project connected to the referendum, is expected to open in fall 2027.
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