80-Acre Athletic, Academic Campus Coming to Carson

“A world-class sports and education complex at a scale beyond anything the Los Angeles region has ever seen.” That is the statement on the front page of the Carol Kimmelman Athletic and Academic Campus’ website. The campus is named after tennis player Carol Kimmelman. She was a member of USC’s national championship team in 1983 and played competitively for 20 years with her tight knit New Jersey club team and more recently in La Jolla, California. After battling ovarian cancer for seven years, Carol passed away in her home on Jan. 6.

Carol’s dream was to bring tennis to underserved youth just like the children she taught at the Raymond Avenue School in South Los Angeles. To honor her passion to bring sports education to under served students, her family launched the Carol Kimmelman campus, in conjunction with the United States Tennis Association, Los Angeles. USTA is partnering with The Kimmelman Family Foundation, founded by Carol’s husband Doug in 1998, along with the TRG Foundation, a Tiger Woods Charity and AEG Worldwide to bring Carol’s dream to life.

“TGR Foundation is excited to be part of the Carol Kimmelman Athletic and Academic Campus, where we can continue to spread our mission of empowering students to pursue their passions through education,” Tiger Woods said.

The campus is expected to span more than 80 acres and feature up to 52 tennis courts, soccer and multi-purpose fields, and a state-of-the-art academic center with a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) focus.

The Kimmelman Family Foundation, along with their partners, have begun to meet with school district leaders, local community-based non-profit organizations and business groups to collaborate on programs and opportunities at the Kimmelman Campus.

The project has an estimated of $60 million to $100 million, Doug said. This price included the handling of the land, which was historically a landfill until 1960, which the campus will be built upon.

“There’s a lot of preparation of this land that has to be done. To do it in an environmentally conscious way takes a lot of time, effort and money,” Doug said.

The Kimmelman Family Foundation is contributing $30 million to construction and $10 million to operation costs. The USTA has pledged roughly $10 million.

Awaiting final approval from the county and environmental reviews, Doug hopes to break ground in 2020.

“Carol was passionate about the potential for children to learn important life lessons both in the classroom and on the tennis court or sports field,” Doug said. “This exceptional, cutting-edge complex will be a safe place for young people throughout the region to experience these lessons firsthand, helping them achieve their full potential and opening doors throughout their lives.”

kalaisha@beachcomber.news