The Editor:
Re: Coquitlam park neighbours fed up with 'annoying' pickleball noise (Jan. 27, 2022)
It is interesting to learn that Coquitlam residents living near pickleball courts are upset with the noise.
That must be difficult to live with and Coquitlam should do more than put up signs and walls.
This problem could have been avoided if Coquitlam had followed the recommendations made by a joint task force of Tennis BC and Pickleball BC.
The best practice is to build separate pickleball hubs in appropriate sites.
One advantage of this approach is to choose locations where the noise factor is not problematic.
Instead, to save money, Coquitlam decided to convert or share tennis courts for this purpose.
The joint task force states this idea is a recipe for conflict.
The conflict happens between players of the two sports and apparently with local residents due to the noise from pickleball.
This short-sighted policy has also reduced the number of tennis courts available to Coquitlam tennis players, forcing them to leave Coquitlam to play tennis.
Since 2012, the number of tennis courts available in Coquitlam has decreased. This is only partially due to the incursion of pickleball. During this time the population has grown and participation rates are up.
It is time that Coquitlam invested in racquet sports, which are proven to be number one for health benefits.
In addition to the pickleball hubs, we need an indoor facility for racquet sports.
This would provide year-round access for players of both sports, while containing noise to give local residents a break.
If they can find money for swimming pools and playing fields, and ice arenas, they should be able to find money for racquet sports.
Tennis BC reports that indoor tennis facilities across the province are operating at close to capacity during the winter months.
- Dave Retallack, Coquitlam
