Cranbrook city council voted to convert the Kinsmen Park tennis courts into eight pickleball courts based on a proposal by the Cranbrook Pickleball Society that was brought to city hall.
Mayor and council have received repeated requests for more courts from local citizens and schools, according to a staff report.
The report notes that the Cranbrook Tennis Society has recently disbanded, but past members say there are enough existing tennis courts to meet demand for tennis and that the loss of the Kinsmen Park courts would be accepted.
The existing courts at Kinsmen have been out of service for the last four years because of the deterioration of the court surface, which is lined with cracks, due to underground streams and seasonal weather.
However, the Cranbrook Pickleball Society is working with the city to install a new court surface that will withstand some of the elements that degraded the existing one.
“The uplifting of the surface due to the underground streams at the present Kinsmen tennis courts can be resolved by resurfacing the court space with a Tack Coat, which will keep the new 50mm asphalt overlay detached from the shifting ground caused by the underground streams,” reads the report, prepared by city staff. “Large cracks will also be filled with asphalt, and Pavegard will be installed. The Tack Coat underlay, has worked in the past at Gyro Park, and across the country on other surfaces that have had similar problems.”
The city, which will own the facility, is providing the asphalt surface for eight courts and industrial street paint for court markings, while the Cranbrook Pickleball Society is raising money to cover costs such as equipment, concrete poles, and fencing.
The city is budgeting $65,000 for the project, while the society is fundraising $40,000 cash or in-kind donations that will be contributed towards the effort, according to the report.
Pickleball takes inspiration from badminton, tennis and table tennis. The game is played on a rectangular-sized court with wooden paddles and a hard whiffle ball.