Pickleball plans firm up with consultant report

When Don and Pearl Constantino come to Bayfront Park, they arrive with options packed into their athletic bags.

If they can’t play their new favorite sport — pickleball — because of an occupied court, they pull out their tennis rackets, a can of balls and begin to volley a few steps away.

And if that’s not possible, they still won’t give up.

“We love this place,’’ said Don Constantino, who has been coming to Longboat Key with his wife for 10 years from their residence in Maryland. “If this is busy, we bring our tennis stuff or we’ll just go for a walk.’’

Crowds weren’t an issue on a recent hot, humid morning in Bayfront Park, and the Constantinos were playing on the park’s single regulation pickleball court. But in the winter, with seasonal visitors and nice weather, that’s not often the case. Waits for court time can add up with no way to reserve court time.

In a pickle

For the last year or so, the town has been considering ways to alleviate some of the logjams and satisfy the demand for the rapidly growing sport. Temporary nets and alternative striping on a Bayfront Park tennis court made a difference, but it’s still not enough in peak times.

In the town’s 2020 capital projects budget, $100,000 was set aside to match privately raised money to cover the estimated $200,000 cost of building four new courts. At the time, town pickleball players complained the price estimate and private-fundraising ask were both too high.

In December, the town spent about $10,000 for a feasibility study to consider where courts could go, how much they would cost and how to address parking. 

A variety of stakeholders took part, including tennis players who frequent the town’s Public Tennis Center.

Consultant George F. Young’s recommended concept puts four courts just east of four existing Tennis Center courts on the north side of Bay Isles Road, where a crushed-shell parking lot with 21 spaces exists now.

In addition to existing street parking, additional parking is envisioned behind and just east of the Longboat Key Library, and the town has opened initial communication with All Angels by the Sea Episcopal Church regarding weekday and Saturday parking.

The consultant estimates the cost of the four courts and parking improvements at $97,960 (which rises to $117,552 when a 20% contingency cushion is added).

Sound concerns

The Constantinos say the “thwack” of pickleball’s hard plastic ball striking a rigid paddle doesn’t bother them when they play tennis, but noise was an issue raised by members of the tennis community, especially in close proximity to the existing tennis courts.

Marv Hart plays tennis three or four times a week at the Tennis Center and also is a pickleball enthusiast who plays at new courts at the Longboat Key Club near the Moorings, because Bayfront Park’s single, dedicated court can be too crowded.

He understands the noise.

“I think they ought to put them in Bayfront Park, where they’d be open to everybody,’’ he said, adding such a plan would also alleviate the noise problem.

The town has a $16,000 solution to the noise: sound curtains.

Close in appearance to typical tennis windscreens, sound curtains have the ability to cut the noise by about 50%, manufacturers say.

Adding in the cost of the sound curtains, the total project is estimated at $133,552. After the $10,000 study costs, that leaves about $43,000 unfunded, with the possibility of some grant money still to come. Like the town’s tennis enthusiasts raised money for expansion of their sport’s facilities, local pickleball fans could likewise be asked to pitch in the unfunded remainder, which is less than half the original estimate for private assistance.

Carolyn Brown, the town’s support-services director, said the cost of upkeep for pickleball courts wouldn’t amount to much beyond occasional replacement of nets. Unlike the town’s Tennis Center clay courts, pickleball courts are hard-surfaced and require less maintenance. She said the Tennis Center would likely set up a reservation system and fee options for daily play, memberships for pickleball only or a combination tennis-pickleball membership, because players frequently are interested in both sports.

Commissioner Ed Zunz wondered if four new courts ultimately would be enough. He suggested the land set aside as part of the Arts, Culture and Education Center might offer better parking and proximity to the Tennis Center as an alternative. It would also be farther away from residential property on Neptune Avenue.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if very shortly after having four courts, people would want six or eight or 10,’’ he said. “I’ve heard some ridiculous stories from the middle of the state of 100 pickleball courts. So one possible shortcoming of this site would be to go beyond four courts. Conceiveably, you could squeeze another one in, but if you wanted to go up to eight or 10, this is not the place to do it.”

Commissioner Jack Daly said he thought it was reasonable to look at alternatives, but the proposed site was nearly perfect for four courts.

“A bird in the hand is worth a lot more than looking down the road to expand beyond that.’’