Dear Editor:
RE: Local pickleballers bring home gold, Sept. 12.
Congratulations to Bryce Richardson and Tim Porter for their impressive gold medal win in the Canada 55+ games.
As Richardson rightly stated, there is a great need for better pickleball facilities in Centre Wellington. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in North America and it is being embraced by persons of all ages. It is easy to learn but can be played at intense, challenging levels with experienced players.
The health benefits of racquet sports are well documented. Investments of this type can support a happier, healthier population. It will also attract persons interested in active living to our community.
Given the plan to dramatically expand the size of the Centre Wellington population, the time to act is now. We are already faced with inadequate tennis facilities and the availability of good pickleball venues is abysmal. It is not a good solution to dual purpose tennis courts with pickleball lines. This just leads to hard feelings and conflict as has been noted by other municipalities that have undertaken appropriate planning.
It is also very important to locate outdoor courts in areas away from residential neighborhoods due to noise concerns when courts are fully used. That means we need to act quickly given the rush to build more housing in our area.
The existing space in the sportsplex is heavily booked by completing groups. Moreover, it is a substandard and unsafe setting for competitive pickleball play. This is not a viable long-term solution.
There are many communities that have flourishing pickleball clubs that we can learn from. Honey Harbour, Port Elgin and Barrie are all examples of towns that have major new dedicated pickleball facilities.
There are also lots of options for how this could be funded. Certainly, this should be part of our community recreational plan just as many other types of sports are. However, if the township is unable to fully fund a facility to meet the needs of this rapidly growing sport, it should pursue partnerships with private investors urgently.
There are creative solutions to this issue. It’s time to get on with putting those solutions in place.
John Hirdes,
Elora