West Fargo High School tennis players who now use borrowed courts will soon have their own place to play.

The teams have practiced for years on the park district's Herb Tintes Park.

This fall, the boys' team will likely be the first group to use a $2.2 million athletic and physical education complex the School District is building just east of the high school.

";It's bigger than life as far as tennis is concerned,"; said Chad Anderson, high school tennis coach.

Construction is scheduled to wrap up in November, though grass on the football field won't be ready for play anytime soon, Superintendent Chuck Cheney said.

Under construction are a track, grandstand with seating for 2,000, lighting, an irrigation system and six tennis courts. The site will also include a football field and practice softball diamonds.

";As long as they fit us in, I'm glad,"; said Dylan Nitzkorski, a senior tennis player. ";We've been needing them for a long time.";

The courts are on track for a September finish. Anderson hopes to use the new courts during the West Fargo/Fargo Invitational Sept. 10.

Eventually, he'd like to use the park district courts for a middle school tennis program.

The school district has been planning for the new athletic amenities, which also will be used for classes, for at least six years.

About $1.5 million of the funding for the facility was squeezed from a 2002 bond issue. The rest came from the school's building fund.

The new track should be finished in October, replacing a track built in 1976 near the former middle school, now the Lodoen Community Center.

";Our track was very, very primitive,"; Cheney said.

The football field inside the track won't see games until the grass is ready. Cheney isn't sure when that will be.

";We want to make sure it gets off to a great start,"; he said.

Once it is ready, the current football field near the Lodoen Community Center will become a soccer field.

At the new field, school officials have designated a spot for a concession stand and restrooms that could be developed by the time the field is ready for play, Cheney said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Andrea Domaskin at (701) 241-5556