A number of new and refurbished pickleball and tennis courts will soon be coming to Delta.
Delta council has endorsed the parks and recreation department’s sport court improvement program and has directed staff to host public consultation meetings regarding proposed upgrades to Chalmers, Dennison and Cromie parks.
Following those meetings, staff will bring a report back to council which will outline recommended designs and more detailed budget estimates.
According to Delta staff, the sport court improvement program will be carried out over a number of years.
Proposed work for 2019 includes eight dedicated pickleball courts and two dedicated tennis courts at Chalmers Park in North Delta; four dedicated pickleball courts at Dennison Park in Tsawwassen; six pickleball courts shared with three tennis courts at Cromie Park in Ladner and pickleball line colouring to the existing courts at Sunshine Hills Park in North Delta.
The cost to complete all the work this year is just over $1 million, of which there is almost $1.2 million in Delta’s 2019 budget for the resurfacing and rebuilding of sport courts.
Other work is proposed in future years: Cromie Park, Hawthorne Park and the North Delta track site in 2020; Pebble Hill Park and Endersby Park in 2021; and Annieville Park and Mountain View Park in 2022. Delta has not yet committed funding for any of those projects.
According to a staff report, Delta currently has 40 outdoor tennis courts and three outdoor pickleball courts.
“Participating in the sport of pickleball is expanding at a rate far faster than other sports,” said parks and recreation director Ken Kuntz. “Pickleball is played inside gymnasiums and on three dedicated outdoor courts currently. To help address the shortage of dedicated pickleball courts, additional lines have been painted on top of tennis courts in several locations; however, these lines do not fully address the sport’s requirements for suitable play.”
Kuntz said staff has consulted with the Delta Pickleball Association as well as the Ladner Tennis Club, Sunshine Hills Tennis Club and Tsawwassen Tennis Club on the proposed improvement program and will continue to work with all groups to ensure their needs are met.
