A new eight-court pickleball complex appears to be coming to the Orillia Recreation Centre property next year.
More than 40 local pickleball enthusiasts applauded and cheered on Monday when they heard council give a green light to the new complex. But the project is contingent on provincial funding.
Frank Corker, president of the Orillia Pickelball Club, says the city has already submitted a funding application to the Ontario Ministry of Sport to help fund the project.
If it's successful, an "intergenerational skate park," an adventure playground and the eight-cort pickleball complex could be built at Foundry Park; the project has a total budget of $2 million to be funded through the province's community sport and recreation infrastructure fund.
Corker says the new facility will be professional and supported by the local club.
"We are very specific about the court size and how much space we need to have between courts for safety purposes," he said. "The city has agreed to not put anything in that's half baked. It's going to be very (pickleball) specific."
Corker says pickleball is North America's largest and fastest growing sport. However, it's currently hard to find a place to play in Orillia.
"Homewood (Park) is the only court," he said, noting the four "makeshift" courts on the concrete slab that serves as the Mariposa Folk Festival stage at Tudhope Park, are not ideal. "There's another in Walter Henry Park, but it lacks space, parking, and maintenance."
The proposed new facility adjacent to the Orillia Recreation Centre will make a major difference for the large community of local players, he predicted.
Pending a funding announcement, Corker says pickleball courts could be constructed and be ready for players by May of 2025. By that time, Corker says the need for new courts will have grown even more.
"The fastest division of growth in pickleball is between eight and 34 years old," he explained. "Us old guys will be outnumbered quantumly by that age group when we get these courts."
Corker thanks Marcia Russell, the city's manager of recreation services Meagan Visser, the city's recreation program supervisor, and John McMullen, the city's manager of park planning for their support of the project.
Avid skateboarder Mark Watson, who is also the co-owner of downtown skateboard and apparel shop, Pocket Skate & Vintage, says he is hopeful that council's approval means the $1.5 million skateboard park will also be built within the next few years.
"It all depends on that grant going through," he said. "If they get the grant, I think we are going to be in good shape."
Watson says a new skateboard park would give the sport a resurgence in Orillia.
"We need something new," he said. "We need something up to date, with up-to-date obstacles and things like that that are safer and more conducive to learning and sticking with the sport."
Watson says a new skateboard park presents a "huge opportunity" for the city to bring in skateboarders from other communities and keep skateboarders from Orillia home.
"Right now, kids leave to go skateboarding as soon as they get their (driver's) licence," he explained. "They go to other cities all the time and spend their money, go to the corner stores, and go to the restaurants. But to bring people from other cities to see a quality skate park and enjoy our town is what we've always wanted to do."
