New Barrie pickleball courts should come with a dome says the guy who would know.
John Wellar, owner of Barrie North Winter Tennis, says it make little sense to spend big money on new courts that can only be used four months a year.
“I think it’s a big investment for strictly a summer activity. If they invest that same money and let us partner on top of that, you’ve got courts that could be used for 12 months of the year,” he told BarrieToday. “Others would come to Barrie if we had such a facility. We could host regional tournaments once a month, bring in some tourism dollars. It could be a good thing.”
Founded in 2003, Barrie North Winter Tennis has a partnership arrangement with Springwater Township for its outdoor tennis courts in Midhurst, covering them with a dome from October to April’s end.
Wellar said the same type of deal could be made with Barrie, if the city finds a suitable location and council decides to spend the money.
Which is anything but a given at the point.
On Monday night, city council could refer back to staff a motion for a new $1.3-million facility with 14 professional standard courts at Barrie Community Sports Complex, located just north of the city in Midhurst at the former tree nursery.
Staff would instead investigate and report back on the ability to develop eight or 12 or 14 new pickleball courts in Painswick Park at the March 21, 2022 general committee meeting. Painswick Park, which already has four pickleball courts, is located at the corner of Big Bay Point Road and Ashford Drive in the city's south end.
Coun. Mike McCann, who made the motion, has said the new courts should be located in Barrie, that people are driving outside the city, to Orillia and Newmarket, to play pickleball because this city doesn’t have enough courts.
Coun. Ann-Marie Kungl voted against this new plan, saying there are four more courts planned for construction this year at Eastview Community Park. She says staff has already done extensive work during the past two years, examining locations related to siting and sizing pickleball courts for a tournament facility.
Kungl has also said 13 or 14 courts are needed in one location to comply with Pickleball Canada’s standard for a minimum of 12 courts for sanctioned, regional-level tournaments. She said looking at space for less than 12 courts and revisiting a location already investigated, Painswick Park, won’t attract competitive play, events and support tourism interests.
Kungl said she’s looking to amend McCann’s motion Monday night.
“(With) a new section that asks staff to consider including updating the outdoor racquet sports strategy in the 2023 capital budget to provide direction on outdoor pickleball and tennis recreation facilities across the city,” she said.
Supporting amenities for a new pickleball facility include, but aren’t limited to, lighting, a shaded seating area, washroom facilities and parking.
The Feb. 28 staff report on 14 new pickleball courts at Barrie Community Sports Complex has a capital cost of $1,294,000. With a dome, this capital cost increases to $3,965,000 — adding in the dome structure, interior lighting, mechanical equipment, a concrete foundation for the grade beam, the dome ancillary structure and site work.
“My angle would be if you’re going to invest that money, why not make it year-round,” Wellar said of the dome option. “Why invest that money for four good summer months? That doesn’t make sense to me.”
He said a dome also helps protect courts from winter weather, which can cause them to crack and heave.
The city offers drop-in pickleball sessions at various community centres throughout Barrie. There are dedicated courts at Red Path and Painswick parks, share-used courts at Greenfield, Sandringham and Strabane parks. In all, the city has 11 existing pickleball courts in its parks, with six dedicated pickleball courts, and five shared-use courts.
The city plans to construct an additional four dedicated pickleball courts at Eastview Community Park to have a total of 15 courts in 2022.
Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and table tennis/ping pong. It’s played with a paddle and a wiffleball, a perforated plastic ball, on a badminton-sized court with a slightly modified tennis net. Pickleball can be played as doubles or singles and by all age and skill levels for both recreation and as a social activity.
City staff say it is growing in popularity in Canada and throughout Ontario communities, notably amongst older adults and seniors, but also young adults.
Barrie Pickleball Club has said it has about 450 members in and around the city.
