On Sept. 28, 2017, a delegation of local pickleball representatives (Stakeholders) requested Parksville council consider a motion to provide a public regulation pickleball facility.
At the time there were approximately 1,000 local pickleballers playing on makeshift pickleball courts.
The council of the day agreed with this proposal and initially budgeted $320,000 to build 12 pickleball courts. A recent count of pickleball players is now approaching 2,000 players and the present council agreed on March 8, after 5 1/2 years of delays, to build four pickleball courts.
Statistics provided by the OPC Pickleball Club and RDN recreation show 96 per cent utilization of existing facilities. Recreation managers use 90 per cent utilization as a guide to justify additional facilities.
Coun. O’Brien’s motion of March 21 for 16 courts is therefore not unreasonable.
On Oct. 28, 2021 I personally delivered a letter to each individual council member with the names and contact information of the seven stakeholders inviting them to meet with one or all of us directly. Not one of the councillors that voted against Coun. O’Brien’s motion have collaborated or availed themselves of our combined 57 years of pickleball knowledge and experience.
Perhaps this explains why the number of courts has been cut back to four.
Ernie Pallot
Parksville