Mayor’s Monday Mailbag – April 8, 2024 – What Happened to the Pickleball Pilot at Ireland Park?
Welcome to the Mayor’s Monday Mailbag, an initiative Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and the Mayor’s Office launched to share weekly answers to questions from the public we’ve received through our main email inbox at mayor@burlington.ca or the Mayor’s social media platforms.At the end of the month, we publish a roundup of those most pressing questions we’ve received in the weeks prior.
Mayor’s Monday Mailbag – April 8, 2024QUESTION:"What happened to the pickleball pilot program at Ireland Park?”ANSWER:Last year, the City of Burlington ran a pilot program at Ireland Park for exclusive pickleball times on the multi-use course. After receiving complaints from tennis players and casual pickleball players about the perceived club and tournament play at the courts, the City has decided not to proceed with the pilot. The courts can still be used by both tennis and pickleball players, subject to the regular half hour time limit operating model for outdoor courts.Since last summer, the City has built two pickleball-exclusive courts at Leighland Park and more are planned for installation Palmer Park later this summer. Outdoor pickleball and tennis courts have already opened for the 2024 season, please visit burlington.ca for more.A staff report with updates and recommendations for a shared court pilot at Ireland Park is coming to the Committee of the Whole meeting today (April 8). Click tap/here to read the report.Below are some frequently-asked-questions (FAQs) for additional details.Q: How long was this pilot in place?A: This pilot ran for one season, April to October 2023.
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Q: Why was the pilot cancelled?A: Players were not following courtesy rules such as the 30-minute time limit, first come, first serve and players not linked with an association were unable to play. Associations were holding organized tournaments at the courts, preventing others from playing. Tennis players also felt unfairly excluded from using the courts.When fair access to the courts was not followed, the residents not associated with the large groups felt uncomfortable and unable to speak up.
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Q: Can I still play pickleball at Ireland Park?A: Yes! The courts will be returned to shared use for tennis and pickleball.
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Q: Can members of organized sport groups still use public courts in Burlington?A: All community members are welcome on outdoor public courts. All players are required to rotate onto courts in order of arrival and follow the courtesy-sharing time limit of 30-minutes maximum per singles or doubles’ group. Public outdoor courts are meant for casual matches. Tournaments or club league play are not allowed on these courts.
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Q: Did the exclusive use pilot relieve demand for pickleball courts?A: No. There was no significant reduction in demand for outdoor pickleball courts.
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Q: How did the City evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot?A: The City evaluated through comments and complaints from residents, tennis players and pickleball players, as well as using information gathered by consultants for the Live and Play Plan review.Consultants collated recreation Live and Play Plan input from in-person meetings, Get Involved survey input, and interviews conducted with staff, elected officials and community groups. Staff and consultants also collected feedback at events held for community member input at Food for Feedback and Robert Bateman engagements. Focused engagement with the Burlington Pickleball Association, and independent tennis and pickleball players who voiced concerns through Service Burlington, have also been considered in the pilot review process.
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Q: When will the Live and Play Plan review be completed?A: The Live and Play Plan will be completed later this spring. The consulting team will have done a best practice review and have a recommendation on how to manage the demands of pickleball.
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Q: Is pickleball demand an issue for other municipalities?A: Yes, other municipalities are experiencing the same high demand.
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