Katy tennis enthusiasts can now enjoy playing their sport on improved tennis courts at Katy City Park. The improvements happened thanks to an $8,000 donation from Aileen Rios and her company, Harvest Midstream of Houston.

Kevin Browne, the city’s parks director, said Rios reached out to the city about making a donation. She mentioned renovating the tennis courts at the park, 5720 Franz Road. The city was already planning to make those renovations, Browne said. The city took Rios, who is a GIS (for geographical information system) technician, and her company, a privately-held midstream company services provider, up on the gift.

“It was good timing, a good opportunity,” Browne said.

Council Member-at-Large and Mayor Pro Tem Chris Harris said when Rios made the donation, she invited him and Ward B Council Member Rory Robertson to play a match against her and her husband, Arturo. It would be one of the first matches—if not the first—on the renovated court.

Harris and Robertson were up to the challenge. But they also warned her that they weren’t that good at tennis.

“She kind of introduced us to the sport,” Harris said. “We’ve had kids that have played before. We knew a little bit, but not enough to play her. It was a lot of fun.”

Robertson, a former Katy Tigers football player, described the experience as a blast.

“We were destroyed score-wise, but we got a lot of lessons on how to play,” Robertson said. “I’d like to thank them for their patience and kindness for teaching us to play tennis. Both Chris and I were sore for several days afterward. We really enjoyed the day. Maybe I’ll play them again a lot later if I get in better shape.”

Robertson and Harris expressed thanks to Rios and Harvest Midstream for the gift.

Browne said while he played tennis in high school, he hasn’t played the game in some time.

“I’ll have to go out there and check it out,” Browne said.

Browne said the city has made other improvements around the tennis courts, including renovating the wooden benches, which were rotting underneath.

The city is also developing a fitness court on the north side of the park near the basketball court and Play Station Playground. The court will have areas for performing a variety of exercises. The city accepted a $50,000 National Fitness Campaign 2022 grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas for the creation of the fitness court.

The court needed additional money for installation of the concrete slab and surfacing where it would go, along with equipment and any customized artwork. The council authorized an additional $92,350 in parks bond money for those things.

Robertson, who is a teacher, said he has students who go to the park to play after school. Having an improved set of tennis courts helps.

“There’s more participation in tennis because we have the best facilities now,” Robertson said. “I see that every day. I really think Katy City Park is going to be one of the top facilities in the area.”

Browne said the department is preparing to receive design and construction documentation for a parks and maintenance, authorized as part of a bond package approved by Katy city voters.

“I’ve seen some initial documents,” Browne said. “We’re just waiting for the full package.”

Harris said Browne has done a good job serving the community.

“I see more people out in our parks, more than I even used to imagine,” Harris said. “I think they’re doing a great job, and I can’t wait to see what’s going on in future with the parks master plan.”

Robertson said he hoped the improved courts will encourage others to take up tennis.

“it’s a really great gift,” Robertson said. “Parks are a reason why a lot of families move to Katy. It’s one of our highlights.”