Lewes committee exploring locations for pickleball facility

The explosion in popularity of the sport of pickleball has Cape Region players scrambling to find places to play.

The City of Lewes retrofitted its two tennis courts at Canalfront Park to accommodate the growing sport, but that also created tension with tennis players.

Now, the city has created a subcommittee of the parks and recreation commission to explore possible places within the city where a pickleball facility could be built.

“Obviously this sport is going to continue to grow, and the population will continue to grow,” said Parks and Rec Commissioner Barry Dunkin during the pickleball subcommittee’s first meeting Dec. 4. “We can’t satisfy all those needs at one small park that has two tennis courts.”

Dunkin said the need for additional pickleball facilities is a region-wide issue, and the focus of the subcommittee is to determine if the city could build a facility to accommodate Lewes-area players.

During the discussion, the group determined six to eight courts would be sufficient and large enough. In addition to space for courts, the subcommittee determined parking for up to 40 cars would be ideal. Restroom facilities and other services were also discussed.

Some possible locations were briefly discussed, including George H.P. Smith Park, Great Marsh Park, open space behind Lewes Public Library, and others. Each location had pros and cons.

The next step is for Parks and Rec Commissioner Rodney Robinson to develop a rough plan to determine how much space would be required for a facility. The subcommittee will then search for places within the city where the facility could fit. The final step will be to estimate the cost of building the facility in the identified locations.

Funding sources for such a facility is an unknown factor. Besides direct funding from the city, Dunkin said he’d like to see contributions from Sussex County and the State of Delaware.

The subcommittee’s next meeting is set for 10 a.m., Wednesday, Jan. 6. A link to the meeting will be posted at lewes.civicweb.net.

What is pickleball?

Pickleball is similar to tennis but played on a smaller court. Players stand on opposite sides of a net and hit a plastic ball back and forth using paddles. The sport can be played by people of all ages. It is often an easier sport to play for older athletes. It’s often compared to tennis, badminton and ping-pong.