SUNDRE – Although an official grand opening is yet to occur, the Sundre Pickleball Club has unveiled a new line design after completing a project that cost approximately $46,000.
The former tennis court behind Sundre High School has been completely resurfaced with a new material and line design that no longer accommodates tennis.
“We didn’t run the tennis lines,” Rick Hertz, the association’s president, said during a June 4 phone interview.
The group, which prior to becoming an association started off as a club, had previously spearheaded the initiative to breathe new life into the former tennis court that over years of neglect had deteriorated into a state of disrepair.
That project, which in 2021 culminated in laying an asphalt surface, had included consideration for those in the community who enjoy playing tennis by having dedicated pickleball courts and another court with lines for either sport.
The latest redesign features a Plexipave surface that is now exclusive to pickleball.
“The original plan when all this came about, was to put asphalt down and then the Plexipave at some point down the road when they had the money,” said Hertz.
“But we didn’t have the money at that point,” he said, adding the group has since been fundraising, including applying for the provincial government’s Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP).
Their application was ultimately approved and the association was granted $21,000. The rest of the cost was covered through fundraising, donations and sponsorships, he said.
While the group has also previously received funding from the Town of Sundre through the municipality’s Grants to Organizations program, those funds were used for netting and not this particular project, he said.
Offering some insight into the new surface, he said Plexipave is multi-layered plasticized material that provides some cushioning and is easier on the joints.
“It’s kind of the industry standard for pickleball courts,” he said.
Pleased with the finished product, Hertz said the association’s membership has been playing on the new surface since Monday, June 2.
When asked how the decision was made to redesign the court to cater exclusively to pickleball, Hertz requested a meeting with the entire five-member board alongside a couple other members including Jaymie Read.
During an interview at the court later that same day, Read recognized the facility as a community asset and added the association’s investments have increased its value.
Asked whether the community had been engaged such as through a survey soliciting input, Read told the Albertan the plans had been presented to the administrative leadership at both River Valley and Sundre High schools as well as the town and Chinook’s Edge School Division.
“There was lots of meetings,” he said.
In response to a question about whether the plans that were presented had clearly conveyed the court would now be exclusive to pickleball, he said, “This was always a pickleball club representing a pickleball club.”
Further pressed as to whether there had been community-wide consultation, he said, “No.”
Hertz said he, with few exceptions, hardly ever saw anyone playing tennis.
“I’ve never seen anybody play an organized game of tennis; I’m not saying that doesn’t happen,” he said.
“As a club, we made the decision after talking with all the stakeholders that we would go exclusive to pickleball.”
Hertz added the six new courts would be able to accommodate 24 students from the schools, and Read said he reached out to a sports manufacturer soliciting sponsorship support to secure a set of 24 to 30 paddles and balls that could be used by youth from both schools.
“A lot of us have grey in our hair,” he said, “the youth is the future of it.”
The board said their association has nearly 100 members and that while a grand opening had yet been set, their first tournament is scheduled for June 15.
They also said the association had offered tennis enthusiasts an alternative location by suggesting the municipality’s new permanent outdoor rink and were prepared to help set lines.
Sundre High School Principal Scott Saunders said there had been discussions about the project, adding he in recent years has seen a lot more pickleball users at the court than ever before.
River Valley vice-principal Ian Mulholland, who had met with Read, said the plan as proposed had not conveyed the court would be exclusive to pickleball and he was unaware until the lines went in.
“We were never using the court either,” Mulholland added.
“From our school’s perspective, it is not a huge issue for us,” he said.
“I know there are some community members that are very passionate about tennis,” he said. “(But) it wasn’t a question that we had for (the association).”
The town’s director of community development, Benazir Thaha Valencia, said she had received numerous queries about the project and the process.
The municipality has a lease agreement with Chinook’s Edge School Division, she said.
The agreement’s section pertaining to the use or alteration of the premises – which also includes the baseball diamonds as well as the alleyway that runs behind the rodeo grounds – in part states that the town shall not alter the premises without prior written consent of the school board.
Shawn Russell, CESD’s associate superintendent, said contact had been made with regards to redoing the lines at the courts.
“But we don’t use them for tennis, as a school. So it really wasn’t a concern for us,” he said.
“I do understand there’s now been some concern expressed by those who play tennis as opposed to pickleball,” he said.
The school division would be amenable to a redesign and Russell said he hopes the pickleball and tennis players can find a compromise.
“If they were to come to us with a plan, we’d be supportive of taking any necessary revisions that they wanted to make it work for both.”
In a May 25 post shared on the association’s public social media page, Hertz replied in response to a question about whether the tennis lines would still be included, “Due to the increasing popularity of pickleball, and budget constraints of the Sundre Pickleball Association, the tennis lines will not be redone with this project.”
