Roof going up at Vernon's pickleball courts

Photo: Doug Hoover

They're raising the roof at the Vernon pickleball courts at Marshall Fields.

It has taken months of planning and fundraising, and hundreds of hours of sweat equity from volunteers, but the roof is finally going up at the facility.

This past week, six of the 12 roof trusses were erected as Rennie Equipment Inc. constructs the building shell.

That work is expected to be complete by the end of the year.

“This leaves the interior work, which will use mostly member volunteer labour to complete and is expected to take most of the month of January, so we are now targeting Feb. 1 for opening to both the membership and public," says building committee member Myron Hocevar.

The $1.4-million project was financed primarily through Vernon Pickleball Association members, who committed $1.2 million towards it. 

Once complete, the complex will be the largest covered dedicated pickleball complex in Canada. 

"This first-class facility will attract players from across the province and across Canada. We will be able to not only accommodate the growing number of pickleball players in Vernon, but the courts will also be a prime destination for future tournaments," the club says.

The structure will have 39,000 square feet of fabric roof and 56 tons of steel in its frame, and at its peak is 55 feet high. Ten semi-trailer loads were needed to bring the materials to the site.