Pickleball problem settled

Photo: Summerland Pickleball Club

The Summerland Pickleball Club got what they were hoping for, through to the end of the outdoor season.

Summerland council concluded in a meeting Monday that the pickleball courts at Peach Orchard Campground will be exclusively reserved for the Pickleball Club from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, until Sept. 28, 2017.  

"The pickleball people met with staff and they came up with the hours that would cover the times that they are actually getting instruction," Mayor Peter Waterman said. "That's what they were worried about because they had put together a schedule inviting people for instruction and so on, for the rest of the season."

Pickleball has proven to be a popular sport across the Okanagan and Summerland is not the only municipality facing these issues, according to Manager of Parks and  Recreation Brenda Ingram.

She noted that the courts are completely open to the public outside of the reserved times.

The Club was initially granted the courts from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday to Friday, in error by a staff member who did not realize the move would need council approval.

Over the course of the winter a review will be done with the Parks and Recreation Commission to form a conclusive schedule that "helps everyone feel welcome on the courts," for the next pickleball outdoor season.  

"They [the Summerland Pickleball Club] were pretty happy that they had this input and that they've come up with a schedule that satisfies them quite well for the rest of the season," Waterman said.