Park City is exploring ideas to build a new pickleball facility in Quinns Junction, but until then, court time for racket sports in the area remains at a scarcity.
For the past several years, Park City recreation staff have fielded complaints from pickleball players, who said there wasn’t enough court availability for the burgeoning sport.
In response, the recreation department devised a plan that would give pickleballers an additional 84 hours of court time per week at the MARC bubble this winter, when snow renders outdoor courts useless.
During the last two city council meetings, more than a dozen tennis players shared their dissatisfaction with the plan.
“Every year this seems to be an issue where the growing, vibrant, fun, great tennis community is asked - well in this case not asked - to give courts to pickleball,” Park City resident and tennis player Phoebe Hailey told the council Thursday. “But I would say that in this case, the recent court reallocation was a bit unfair. Well, we think more than unfair to the tennis community.”
Councilmember Ed Pargian, who serves as a liaison to the recreation department and worked to come up with the new plan, said they could take another look at it. The council unanimously agreed that was the best move.
Councilmember Ryan Dickey said he trusts the recreation staff will come up with the best plan.
“I sympathize,” Dickey said. “We have a shortage of courts. We’re going to continue to have a shortage of courts until we have a new facility."
It’s unclear when a final winter plan for the MARC bubble will be released.
