Since the Regional District of Nanaimo built pickleball courts at the Jack Bagley Community Park in Nanoose Bay two years ago, they have been a welcome and well-used facility, particularly by the Nanoose Bay PIckleball Club.
The club has more than 200 members who mostly reside in Electoral Area E (Nanoose Bay) and have been the primary court users.
The group has taken up some of the tasks to improve the facility with co-operation of the regional district. Among them is the installation of a blue windscreen that president of the club Ken Collingwood said "has significantly improved playing conditions on the courts." They also added a suspended cable where players can hang sports bags and apparels.
One of the improvements the club hopes the RDN would support is the installation of a practice rebound board along the back fence.
Collingwood, in his report to the Nanoose Bay Parks and Open Space Advisory Committee last month, said the board will be a permanent set up and will be available not only for club use but also the public. The practice board would be erected vertically against the fence and will not interfere with the playing surface of the courts.
"A practice board enables both pickleball and tennis players to practice their strokes against a hard surface by themselves at any time without necessarily having playing partners," Collingwood explained in his report. "These are a common feature on many public courts throughout B.C."
The club has researched and made inquiries about practice board. There are only a few suppliers and they cost approximately $15,000.
Due to the high cost, the club has come up with an alternative to purchasing of the equipment. They are offering to construct a high standard practice board that could be made from marine grade plywood with a surface of bonded starboard. They have members who have woodworking and construction skill sets who are willing to volunteer their time to build this facility.
Collingwood said the club will submit a plan for construction and aims to raise funds for the cost of the materials.
The Electoral Area Services Committee, at its meeting on July 3, agreed the motion for RDN board authorize the Nanoose Bay Pickleball Club to fundraise, construct, and install a high-quality practice rebound board at the Jack Bagley Community Park multi-purpose courts using volunteer labour. Final approval of the design and materials subject to review and authorization by the RDN prior to installation.
