Sun City’s Pickleball Club has solved its short-term goal of more time on the Tall Oaks tennis court. Now, it is turning its attention to solving its long-range goal: building its own courts at another location in Sun City.
A joint committee of tennis and pickleball players met in April and worked out a 2016 plan that gives pickleball players more time on the Tennis Club’s courts for this year. The community’s board of directors assisted in the project. Serving on the committee were John Sterling and Ken Kalscheur from the Tennis Club, and President Russ Howard and Program Director Diane Olsen from the Pickleball Club. Kalscheur is a past president of the Tennis Club.
The Pickleball Club now has about 140 members, Howard says, and has experienced rapid and significant growth in recent months. It uses the tennis courts in the spring and summer, and conducts some activities and events at the Huntley Park District facilities in the winter months. Late last year, the pickleball group asked the Tennis Club for more opportunities to play on the tennis courts, and joint discussions culminated in an agreement last month.
“We will get more time on tennis courts 1 and 2 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and weekends,” Howard said. “We also have received more time at favorable weekday morning times. We appreciate the consideration and cooperation of the tennis club. We are satisfied at this arrangement for this summer season. It was nice the way it turned out.”
Fortunately, this was a win-win situation.
“We arrived at a way we can jointly use these courts for our mutual benefit,” said Kalscheur.
The Pickleball Club also is looking to its future, which includes the possibility of building pickleball courts at or near the horseshoe and sand volleyball areas next to Eakin Field, or at some other location in Sun City’s common areas. The horseshoe and volleyball facilities are used very occasionally now, both the tennis and pickleball players have said recently. Preliminary estimates have put the cost of building extended pickleball courts at from $80,000 to $100,000, Howard said.
“Before we get into actual construction plans, we have to justify the need for them,” Howard said. “We are working now to accomplish that and come up with solid reasons for doing it to the association. We may get to 200 members soon, and we have to factor that into our planning.”
He also said that his club is considering doing what the Tennis Club did several years ago when its membership was expanding. Tennis players agreed to increase their dues substantially for three years to raise enough funds to pay part of the cost to build several additional courts at Tall Oaks.
