HomeMy WebLinkAboutCS 02-22Report to Council
Report Number: CS 02-22
Date: January 24, 2022
From: Sarah Douglas-Murray
Director, Community Services
Subject: Pickleball Update
-File: A-1440
Recommendation:
1.That Report CS 02-22 regarding Pickleball Update be received for information; and,
2.That the appropriate City officials be authorized to take the necessary actions as
indicated in this report.
Executive Summary: At the Council meeting of November 22, 2021, Council received
Correspondence 57-21 regarding the Pickering Pickleball Petition (see attached) and passed
Resolution #727/21 directing staff, through the CAO, to report back to Council by January 24,
2024 regarding the options available to accommodate indoor Pickleball along with the
associated financial obligations.
This report will provide Council with an update regarding the existing options available to
accommodate indoor Pickleball, as well as expanded offerings, for 2022. It will also provide
information on other existing opportunities for Pickleball play in the community and future
planned facilities that will be able to accommodate Pickleball.
Financial Implications: There are no direct financial implications to this report. Revenues
and expenses for Pickleball programming have been included in the 2022 Current Budget.
Opportunities for future indoor courts in gymnasiums at the Seniors & Youth Centre and future
Seaton Recreation Complex will be considered for approval as part of the Capital Budget
program.
Discussion: While all municipal recreational programming is currently on pause
due to the public health guidelines set out as part of the Province’s modified Step Two of the
Roadmap to Reopen, the City of Pickering typically runs the following indoor Pickleball
programs and opportunities on an ongoing basis:
•City of Pickering Registered Programs for Pickleball 55+ and Pickleball 55+ Level 2.
These programs operate on a sessional basis at East Shore Community Centre (ESCC)
and George Ashe Community Centre and a 10 week session is $55.
•The South Pickering Seniors Club offers drop-in Pickleball in the gymnasium at ESCC.
A South Pickering Seniors membership ($20/year) is required and there is no charge to
play. Drop in play is offered Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for 2.5 hours each day.
CS 02-22 January 24, 2022
Subject: Pickleball Update Page 2
•City of Pickering Registered League Play is offered in the gymnasium at ESCC. Players
pay $60 for six weeks and can book a court time to play with up to 7 other players.
Fourteen hours of play (28 courts) are available per week.
Recreation Programming, including Pickleball, will be launched again once current restrictions
are lifted as per the relevant public heath guidelines and restrictions.
Once renovations of the Chestnut Hill Developments Recreation Complex (CHDRC) are
completed in February 2022, staff plan on resuming the following Pickleball programming in
2022 as public health guidelines and restrictions allow:
•Indoor Drop-in Pickleball in the CHDRC Banquet Hall Monday 9 am - 1 pm and 6:30 pm
–8:30 pm and Tuesday 9 am - 1 pm. Drop-in play will be available for $3 per
person/drop-in. As the facility has gone cashless, staff will work to develop a 10 visit
pass option. As per standard practice, the Pickleball group will line the courts and the
courts will remain lined Mondays and Tuesdays. Due to camp programming, the
Banquet Hall will not be available during the march break or the summer months of July
and August 2022 and other exceptions/dates may apply for large events.
•Indoor Drop-in Pickleball at Don Beer Arena Pad 1 will be offered from May through
mid-August 2022. The model of play and hours of availability will be discussed at a
meeting with Pickleball players in February 2022. It should be noted that this facility is
not equipped with staff to conduct cash handling activities. For this reason, the model
would likely be similar to the sessional Registered League Play currently offered at
ESCC.
Staff met with representatives of the Pickleball Community in December 2021 and received
positive feedback on the additional opportunities for play in the CHDRC Banquet Hall and Don
Beer Arena in 2022. In order to ensure interested residents are informed about opportunities
for Pickleball play in the municipality, staff have developed a new dedicated Pickleball
webpage at https://www.pickering.ca/en/living/pickleball.aspx.
Staff also conducted a thorough review of all City owned facilities and spaces that would be
appropriate for Pickleball. Appropriate spaces would need to include a large enough floor
space for multiple courts and ceiling height appropriate for play. As a result of this review,
there were no additional opportunities to expand programming without displacing other existing
municipal programming, member play or private rentals.
Melati Mas:
In addition to indoor opportunities being offered by the City, Melati Mas Sports is a privately
owned facility located at 1420 Bayly Street. The facility offers eight rental courts for Badminton
and Pickleball and allows up to eight players per court. Court rental is $16/hour for non-prime
time and $25/hour for prime time. Staff have spoken with Melati Mas Sports and the facility has
indicated that they are not operating at capacity and that court booking times are available.
CS 02-22 January 24, 2022
Subject: Pickleball Update Page 3
Leased Commercial Space:
Staff also investigated costs to lease a property of approximately 20,000 square feet that
would provide provision for eight indoor Pickleball courts. The annual cost to lease would be in
the order of $240,000 to $300,000. Leasehold improvements will depend on the property but
would be in the order of $600,000 to $750,000. This option is not recommended due to the
high cost of leasing an appropriately sized space, the leaseholder improvements needed, the
expected completion of the Seniors & Youth Centre in 2025 as well as opportunity for
gymnasium play at the Seaton Recreation Complex.
Future Opportunities for Expanded Play:
Seniors and Youth Centre - The planned Seniors and Youth Centre will have a large double
gymnasium that will be lined for basketball, volleyball, badminton and Pickleball courts. Staff
will be programming registered and drop in program times when the facility opens in 2025.
Seaton Community Centre - The Recreation and Parks Masterplan has also identified that a
double gymnasium is to be included in the Multi-Use facility to be built in Seaton. When
completed the gymnasium will be lined for basketball, volleyball, badminton and Pickleball
courts. Design for the Community Centre is planned for 2024 with construction concluding in
2026.
Pickering Football Club - The Pickering Football Club is exploring capital improvements to
their facility that would include the reconfiguration of their fields to create an indoor hard
surfaced space at the east end of their facility to accommodate numerous indoor sports
offerings and to enhance their revenue generating opportunities. The modifications to the
facility would need to include a relining of their fields as well as substantial modifications to
their netting. Estimated Capital costs and their planning has not been finalized by the club,
however the club has applied to the Ontario Trillium Foundation Community Building Fund –
Capital Stream to support this project. The club have indicated that if their plan proceeds they
would be open to offering some indoor daytime Pickleball opportunities. As the club finalizes
their planning and possible capital costs staff can provide relevant updates to Council.
The combination of existing programming, the return of drop-in Pickleball to the CHRDC,
expanded programming at ESCC and summer indoor play at Don Beer Arena provides
numerous opportunities for indoor Pickleball play. Staff met with representatives from the
Pickleball group who were satisfied with the offerings for 2022.
Attachment:
1.Correspondence 57-21.
CS 02-22
Subject: Pickleball Update
January 24, 2022
Page 4
Prepared By/Approved/Endorsed By:
Original Signed By
Sarah Douglas-Murray
Director, Community Services
SDM:snc
Recommended for the consideration
of Pickering City Council
Original Signed By
Marisa Carpino, M.A.
Chief Administrative Officer
Attachment 1
Corr. 57-21
From: John Singleton
Date: November 8, 2021 at 1:14:39 PM EST
Subject: Pickleball in Pickering
Please find attached a petition addressed to the Mayor of Pickering, members of City of
Pickering Council, the City of Pickering Chief Administrative Officer and the City of Pickering
Director of Community Services.
This petition expresses the signatories' concern over the City of Pickering’s lack of support for
the sport of Pickleball and requests attention to the development of practical, near-term
solutions. Specifically, the signatories are recommending the allocation of tennis court space at
Chestnut Hill Recreation Center to the sport of Pickleball as a short term and/or interim option
pending more permanent solutions.
This petition has, to date, been signed by over 200 Pickleball enthusiasts within the Pickering
area and environs, with additional signatures being received every day. We note that these
signatures have been provided within the space of less than two weeks, indicative of the interest
and urgency of the petitioners.
We acknowledge the announcement last week that a new, city sponsored Pickleball program
will be starting in mid November at East Shore Community Center. We welcome this recent
announcement, however, we also believe that two courts at ESCC fall short of meeting the
needs of the very large community of Pickleball players in Pickering. We also note that the
nature of the program starting at ESCC does not support ‘drop in’ Pickleball (the approach taken
by the majority of municipalities), nor does it support ‘club-type’ play. Our recommendations
remain the same – specifically, the multi-purpose use of existing tennis court space at Chestnut
Hill Recreation Center, ideally under a ‘drop in’ format of play.
We look forward to your response.
Pickering Pickleball Petition
This petition is being respectfully submitted on behalf of the Pickering Pickleball
community, which includes the 300 some members of the 1st Pickering Pickleball Club
and the (estimated) equal number of ‘non-club’ Pickleball enthusiasts who reside in the
City of Pickering and play in other locales due to the lack of venues within the City of
Pickering.
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in North America. Though it has historically been
characterized as a sport for the “Active Over 55” population and remains a hugely
popular sport within that demographic, its popularity is growing exponentially within all
age groups and demographics. Pickleball provides the opportunity for exercise and
social camaraderie, at a relatively low cost, to any participant regardless of age, gender
or previous athletic experience.
This petition is being submitted to express the disappointment of the petition signatories
in the City of Pickering’s historic lack of support for Pickleball and to request City
Leadership attention (at both the Political and Administrative levels) to the development
of solutions to support the game within the City of Pickering.
At the current time, the City of Pickering provides no dedicated facilities, either indoor or
outdoor, for Pickleball.
For outdoor play (which will soon not be an option in any event), venues are limited to a
small number of courts spread disparately across the City, shared with tennis players,
basketball players and other users. These are (generally) older, asphalt surfaced
courts, some in less than optimum condition, and some with no nets, fences or
windscreens. (In some cases, Pickleball players must bring their own nets and, in some
cases, tape the PB lines onto the courts themselves.)
For indoor play there are currently no venues. Courts previously available in the ‘Salon’
rooms at the Recreation Center are no longer available. For a short period of time, an
indoor tennis court at the Recreation Center was allocated to Pickleball, however, that
has also not been available for some time. A City sponsored Pickleball program at East
Shore Community Center has recently restarted, however, this is aimed primarily toward
‘learn to play’ beginners and the two courts at ESCC do not support the wider Pickering
Pickleball Community.
We understand that the City of Pickering has longer term plans for expanded
recreational facilities (potentially including Pickleball) in the City Center and Seaton
area. We applaud this longer-term planning if it includes Pickleball, however, it does not
solve the short-term need.
The signatories of this petition respectfully request that the City of Pickering Leadership
Team look for near term opportunities to provide both indoor and outdoor venues to
support the game of Pickleball. Our view is that the allocation of one indoor tennis court
at Chestnut Hill Recreation Center to Pickleball is an easy short-term solution. One
tennis court, shared with Pickleball for (say) 3 or 4 days per week, 3 or 4 hours per
morning, would provide an acceptable short-term solution … supporting both the
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Pickleball community and not disrupting the tennis community. The allocation of tennis
court #1 at Chestnut Hill Recreation Center would provide room for 4 Pickleball courts.
We thank you for your consideration of this petition and look forward to your response.
Addressees (Political):
Mayor Dave Ryan mayor@pickering.ca
Kevin Ashe kashe@pickering.ca
Bill McLean bmclean@pickering.ca
David Pickles dpickles@pickering.ca
Maurice Brenner mbrenner@pickering.ca
Ian Cumming icumming@pickering.ca
Shaheen Butt sbutt@pickering.ca
Addressees (Administrative):
Marisa Carpino, Chief Administrative Officer, City of Pickering mguinto@pickering.ca
Sarah Douglas-Murray, Director of Community Services, City of Pickering sdouglas-
murray@pickering.ca
PICKERING PICKLEBALL PETITION 2021
Timestamp First Last Name Street address and unit City Postal Phone Email Address
Name Code number
optional
1 10/22/2021 Pickering
16:34:15
2 10/22/2021 Pickering
17:34:19
3 10/22/2021 Pickering
18:05:21
4 10/22/2021 Pickering
22:11:35
5 10/23/2021 Pickering
11:23:57
6 10/23/2021 Pickering
11:24:01
7 10/23/2021 Pickering
11:24:02
8 10/23/2021 Pickering
11:25:38
9 10/23/2021 Pickering
11:26:07
10 10/23/2021 Pickering
11:31:29
11 10/23/2021 Pickering
11:31:47
12 10/23/2021 Pickering
11:33:30
13 10/23/2021 Pickering
11:35:41
14 10/23/2021 Pickering
11:46:10
15 10/23/2021 Pickering
11:50:34
16 10/23/2021 Pickering
12:03:51
17 10/23/2021 Pickering
12:27:10