Maybe, Maybe Not??

From Adam Vasilevich May 5: “please note to your membership that we are still in the review and design stage. We do think new courts at Myrtle are possible but have not received pricing yet and we are reviewing the report. It is a process from analysis, design, procurement, construction like we noted at our recent meeting. We are between the design/procurement phase. I hope this makes sense.”

April 27, 2022  (Received May 3 by email)

File: 12.5810.04/000.000 

Dear : Ms. Murenbeeld, President North Shore Pickleball Club 

Re: Sports Courts Strategy Update 

We know that many of our community members are passionate about the sports of  tennis and pickleball. 

When planning and managing our recreational resources, parks and open spaces, our  goal is to ensure we are supporting shared, equitable use of these areas and  encouraging an inclusive and welcoming environment that can be enjoyed by everyone.  This requires ongoing evaluation and adjustment as new demands emerge and usage  trends evolve. 

To help us achieve that goal, we are developing a comprehensive court allocation  strategy that will allow us to optimize existing public courts, while balancing current and  anticipated future sport court use. In the coming months, as we move forward with  developing this strategy, we will reach out to you to gather your input and ideas. 

In the short term, to better accommodate all sport court users, we are making the  following changes at some local parks in the Seymour area: 

Little Cates  

• Adding four dedicated pickleball courts at existing courts 3 & 4 

• Repairing and repainting the tennis practice area for tennis (is was previously  being used for pickleball) 

• Repairing and improving the existing pathways  

Myrtle Park 

• Upgrading the four existing tennis courts (for tennis) 

• Converting the tennis practice court into two dedicated pickleball courts 

McCartney Park 

• Upgrading the tennis playing surface and nets (for tennis)  

• Note: we are not adding pickleball courts at this location 

The sport court upgrades described above will be completed over the coming months  leading to an improved balance and better availability of high quality outdoor sport  courts across the east Seymour area for both Tennis and Pickleball; including, six (6)  improved tennis courts and six (6) new pickleball courts. Following these upgrades, the total number of public courts available in the east Seymour area will be:

• Tennis: A total of twelve (12) courts at five (5) locations (+4 at Windsor school) 

• Pickleball: A total of six (6) courts at two (2) locations 

We know that not everyone will look favourably upon these changes. However, the  approach we are taking to respond to the growing demand for sport courts follows more  than two years of consultation and negotiations with both the North Shore Tennis  Society and the North Shore Pickleball Club. Our approach is also in keeping with  recommendations provided by Tennis BC to conduct fair and meaningful consultation  with user groups as part of the process to repurpose sports courts; and to only use  multi-lining as a last resort. We have made the decision not to multi-line any of the  existing courts at this time. These decisions have taken into account and carefully considered the feedback received and concerns raised through this process. 

Once court improvements in the Seymour area are complete, we will conduct similar  analysis of our other existing court spaces across the District.  

We look forward to connecting with you and gathering more input from you as we move  ahead with our court allocation strategy. 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. 

Regards, 

Adam Vasilevich 

Section Manager, Parks Planning and Development