Another Delta park slated for sport court improvements is having pickleball removed as an addition.
Council last week approved a $231,584 contract for the reconstruction of a sport court at Endersby Park in North Delta. The project has a total budget of $302,000 after design costs and contingency are factored.
The original plan included a new tennis court and the replacement of a basketball standard. Also included was the addition of another basketball standard to enable full-court games as well as two pickleball courts using portable net systems.
A report from the parks and recreation department notes public consultation found that general support exists for the replacement of the sport court, and few respondents were opposed specifically to pickleball and extra basketball amenities.
However, nearly half of the residents who responded expressed concerns about increased neighbourhood traffic and parking issues.
If deemed appropriate, later inclusion of additional court lines and portable nets can be added with minimal disruption and costs, the report notes.
As far as new pickleball courts, the city has decided that it also needs to wait for new recommended provincial standards currently being developed by the British Columbia Recreation and Parks Association in consultation with Pickleball BC.
The Delta report notes that staff had met with representatives of the Delta Pickleball Association to identify and prioritize future locations for new or improved pickleball courts, but earlier this year the city backed away from a plan to add pickleball courts as part of improvements at Pebble Hill Park in Tsawwassen due to overwhelming opposition from the community concerned about the noise.
While sites identified for pickleball were viable from a functional standpoint in terms of necessary area and supporting park amenities, the preferred location at Pebble Hill Park was in relatively close proximity to residential properties, the report notes, adding that a more appropriate site in South Delta is to be sought.
The Vancouver Pickleball Association has already identified minimum distances and associated mitigation measures for the placement of outdoor pickleball courts in residential neighbourhoods.
“As a result of various municipal experiences and suggested parameters from the Vancouver Pickleball Association, the BCRPA has initiated a process to develop guidelines for communities in the placement of outdoor pickleball courts. As a provincial leader in the provision of outdoor pickleball courts, the City of Delta has been an active participant in the process of gathering municipal insights and learnings to inform the forthcoming recommendations. The BCRPA is currently engaged with Pickleball BC, the provincial sport governing body representing the sport of pickleball, to discuss possible guidelines and recommendations for the creation of outdoor pickleball courts in British Columbia. One of the primary points of discussion on the topic of guidelines for outdoor pickleball court placement has been the proximity to residential properties,” the report adds.
