Comal County court approves USTA letter of inquiry, makes funding contingent on grant

Comal County Commissioners on Nov. 6 approved submitting a United States Tennis Association (USTA) letter of inquiry to seek reimbursement grant funding for two additional tennis courts at Joe Mowat Sports Park, and amended the approval so county funding would be contingent on actually receiving the USTA grant.

County staff described the project as an addition of two courts to an existing six-court facility. "In the 2026 budget, we had $385,000 that was budgeted for these 2 courts ... Engineering was $23,000 — that's how we got to the $385,000 that we budgeted in 2026," staff said during the presentation. The staff presentation gave construction and lighting estimates used for budgeting: construction estimated at about $361,000, engineering $23,000, and lighting estimated at roughly $180,000. The county advised the USTA program is reimbursable, meaning the county must pay costs up front and then seek reimbursement if the grant is awarded.

Why it matters: The court had budgeted for two courts without lights. If the county adds lights at the same time, the additional…