Photo: Vernon Pickleball Assoc.

UPDATE: 6:20 p.m.

There may be a need to return to an earlier plan to build a covered pickleball facility at Marshall Field in Vernon.

Noise concerns continue to be a factor.

"I think we have to look at the consideration of the noise issue,” said Coun. Juliette Cunningham. “We've already had people, who live out in the Landing next to Marshall Field, concerned about the noise.”

Cunningham, who is also the chair of the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee, expects an indepth discussion about plans for dedicated pickleball courts at Marshall Field next month.

“(The Vernon Pickleball Association's) original intent was to have a dedicated, covered pickleball facillity so I think that'll all be raised.”

Meanwhile, a plan for the popular game to be played at the Vernon Curling Rink is causing some concern with the players.

“The curling rink has a polished concrete floor which could be slippery,” Doug Ross, director of recreation told council following a meeting with the VPA. “The concerns about the curling club are legitimate.”

Ross said the group had been very cooperative in terms of the noise issue at Sawicki and MacDonald parks in Coldstream.

“They understand that 32 players with 32 balls makes for a lot of noise.”

Original story:

A compromise appears to have been found for the latest pickle over the increasingly popular sport of pickleball – at least in the short term.

The Vernon Pickleball Association board has agreed to move indoors to the Vernon Curling Club for some of its games.

There are currently three outdoor court locations in the Greater Vernon area that are lined for pickleball; Sawicki Park, MacDonald Park and Middleton Mountain in Coldstream, according to a report for city council.

The players prefer Sawicki due to its synthetic playing surface but there is a problem with noise.

“The VPA initially requested a total of twenty-two hours of play over a seven-day week exclusively at Sawicki with an offer to move to Middleton two days per week if required,” said Doug Ross, director of recreation services for the City of Vernon. “The request to book Sunday mornings at Sawicki was not approved in order to provide some respite to the neighbours adjacent to Sawicki from the noise the sport generates.”

Ross said the pickleball association wants to maintain good relations with the neighbours and agreed to book the rink for evening sessions.

However, he said the growing popularity of the sport could create some friction down the road.

“It should be noted that the interest in playing pickleball continues to grow and that many members of the public now have their own equipment, including nets, and are not restricted to playing during VPA court times on public outdoor courts. The rapid growth of the sport is a real positive for the community as it has created an outlet for participation in the 55-plus demographic. With the growing popularity of the sport and the noise that the sport generates, the friction between players and neighbours adjacent to court locations will continue until dedicated courts can be created that are not immediately adjacent to residential areas or are enclosed.”