Pickleball, anyone?
Barrie councillors gave initial approval Monday night to two motions concerning new courts for the popular paddle game.
First was that city staff investigate the feasibility of converting the tennis courts in Painswick Park in the south end to between 10 and 14 pickleball courts, identify a funding source and report back June 7.
Second was that staff investigate the feasibility of constructing 13 or 14 professional-grade pickleball courts, with a shaded seating area and potential for a winter dome, at a city-owned park and report back. This could be funded from the federal gas tax and the community re-investment reserve for potential construction in the spring of 2022.
“There’s like six independent groups with 10, 20, 30, one has 260 members, that are calling me on a regular basis,” said Coun. Mike McCann, who’s behind both motions. “There are so many calls, the demand is so great. We’ve got three courts and over 500 people wanting to play, from ages three to 100.
“I believe pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in North America. This will be a major tourist attraction and we need to have pickleball courts that are together, not scattered across the city," the Ward 10 councillor added.
Coun. Ann-Marie Kungl wasn’t sure about McCann’s plans, however, noting there are plans for pickleball courts in the Hewitt’s area, also in the city's south end, although not until 2025. She was concerned about how much staff time this would take, as was Mayor Jeff Lehman.
“This is the third new project tonight we’re adding to staff’s workload,” the mayor said. “We really need to think about what our priorities are going to be, I think.”
But Coun. Robert Thomson said this isn’t a commitment.
“It’s for information,” he said of McCann’s motions.
“We’re not asking to spend any taxpayers' money tonight; what we’re asking staff to do is to come back with a proposal,” McCann said.
McCann said Barrie’s gas-tax revenues just doubled and this is an ideal project for the community re-investment reserve. He also said he could find a private partner to pay 100 per cent of the bubble or dome's cost.
“With this being an aged sport, a lot of people in their senior years are playing,” he said. “A lot of tennis players are leaving tennis to play pickleball, because, quite frankly, it’s easier on the joints.”
City council will consider final approval of these motions at either its May 25 or May 31 meeting.
Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. It’s played both outside and indoors on a badminton-sized court with a slightly modified tennis net. Players use paddles to hit a plastic ball with holes, or a wiffle ball, and pickleball can be played as singles or doubles.
Because pickleball is played on a small surface, with your opponents just across the net from you, players can be competitive and social at the same time.
