LEXINGTON, NE — With racquet sports surging in popularity, the City of Lexington is planning to build a new multi-million dollar facility.

Parks and Recreation Manager Jake Saulsbury says talks about a smaller, dome-style complex started about seven years ago. With several adult leagues in action and youth participation up to more than 280 kids, the city is opting for a more permanent indoor structure.

“(There is) tremendous growth, tremendous interest in the community," Saulsbury said. "We feel that this would be an awesome project and complex that would better serve those that are choosing tennis to recreate.”

The Lexington Racquet Complex will be a steel building, include about 29,000 square feet, feature four indoor courts and an elevated viewing area. The city plans to build it where the west baseball diamond sits at Plum Creek Park.

The new complex would take pressure off the city’s indoor field house, where indoor tennis is currently played.

“With multiple user groups that are in those facilities, this moving over here would free up space at those indoor spaces as well,” Saulsbury said.

The complex will cost $2.4 million. The city is paying half, a state grant provided $600,000 and the tennis committee is fundraising for the remaining $600,000. 

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm, though, that’s behind this because of the number of people that would use this facility,” Saulsbury said.

Saulsbury hopes to put the project out to bid in late fall, break ground in the spring and open up in 2024.