ESTEVAN - The potential for new pickleball courts in Estevan will be decided by the city's next council.
The current city council received information on the sport during Monday night's meeting. Leisure services manager Erin Wilson presented two recommendations to council.
The first would be to invest $4,000-$5,000 to paint permanent pickleball lines on the existing tennis courts. Wilson reported there are concerns from the tennis club regarding the number of lines on the court and how that would impact tennis play and members.
The proposal for new lines would shift the pickleball courts from facing north-south to east-west.
"This will allow for more courts to be places in the area, but lines could become concerning," said Wilson.
The other option would be to allocate $175,000 in the 2025 budget for the construction of three pickleball courts between the skateboard park and existing tennis courts. Wilson reported facilities manager Dan Kroeker has researched the costs and predicted this would cover the costs of asphalt, pickleball surfaces, high chain-link fence and windscreen.
Wilson recommended the construction of the new courts, but council ultimately decided that it should be the next city council that decides the fate of the new courts.
Coun. Shelly Veroba said she has spoken with people from the pickleball and tennis clubs and they did not want to have additional permanent lines on the existing court. In the meantime, the pickleball club can continue to paint temporary lines on the tennis courts.
"We should not make the motion right now of what to put in the 2025 budget, but we can make the motion to move it to the 2025 budget, and it will be the new council's decision as to whether they proceed or not," said Veroba.
Some council members noted how the city has worked with other users groups' large projects in the past, and suggested the club help with some fundraising. Coun. Travis Frank hinted at selling naming rights to the facility.
"It's something we would expect of hockey or other sports," said Frank.
Having a pickleball court would be a "fantastic" addition to the community, Frank said.
Coun. Lindsay Clark recommended council give the club some clear direction on how much money they should raise, and if they raise it all quickly, then the project shouldn't have to wait for next year.
Coun. Rebecca Foord wanted to know if the city has been in contact with other communities like Weyburn that have shared tennis and pickleball facilities. Wilson said most of her conversations have shown a challenge with combined tennis and pickleball courts.
"If we are looking at this and looking at separating it, it probably is in our best interest," Wilson said.
Wilson noted the Estevan Pickleball Club is a relatively new organization that was formed in 2019 and now has 48 members.
She described pickleball as an "up-and-coming sport" that is a "fantastic opportunity" for the community to enjoy physical activity, exercise and socializing.
