Sundre Pickleball Court Upgrade: The Sundre Pickleball Association has finished a $46,000 court upgrade behind Sundre High School, removing tennis lines and installing a new surface made only for pickleball. Although no official grand opening has happened yet, members began using the court on June 2.
Court Redesigned for Pickleball Only
Rick Hertz, president of the Sundre Pickleball Association, confirmed that the new court no longer has tennis lines.
“We didn’t run the tennis lines,” said Rick Hertz in a phone interview on June 4.
The court was once a tennis facility but had fallen into poor condition. In 2021, the group laid an asphalt base with plans to later add a better surface when funding allowed. That plan is now complete.
“The original plan when all this came about, was to put asphalt down and then the Plexipave at some point down the road when they had the money,” said Rick Hertz.
“But we didn’t have the money at that point,” he said.
The club raised funds and received $21,000 from the provincial Community Facility Enhancement Program. The rest came from local fundraising, donations, and sponsorships.
Rick Hertz added, “It’s kind of the industry standard for pickleball courts.” He explained that Plexipave gives a cushioned surface that is easier on joints.
No Public Survey, But Stakeholders Informed
Jaymie Read and other board members met to decide on the court’s redesign.
Read said, “There was lots of meetings.”
He explained the plans were shown to leaders at River Valley School, Sundre High School, the Town of Sundre, and Chinook’s Edge School Division.
When asked if people in the town were asked through a survey, Read said, “No.”
He added, “This was always a pickleball club representing a pickleball club.”
Rick Hertz noted, “I’ve never seen anybody play an organized game of tennis; I’m not saying that doesn’t happen.”
He said the club made the final choice to focus only on pickleball after speaking to key contacts.
More Play for Schools and Youth
The six new courts can support up to 24 students playing at once. Jaymie Read said he had asked a sports company to sponsor paddles and balls for the schools.
“A lot of us have grey in our hair,” he said. “The youth is the future of it.”
The association now has close to 100 members and is preparing to host its first tournament on June 15. A grand opening date is still to be announced.
To support tennis players, the group offered to help set lines at the town’s outdoor hockey rink.
School and Town Officials React
Scott Saunders, principal at Sundre High School, said more people now use the court for pickleball than before.
Ian Mulholland, vice-principal at River Valley School, said, “We were never using the court either.”
He added, “From our school’s perspective, it is not a huge issue for us.”
“I know there are some community members that are very passionate about tennis,” he said. “(But) it wasn’t a question that we had for (the association).”
Benazir Thaha Valencia, director of community development for the Town of Sundre, said many people had asked about the court changes. She noted the town has a lease with Chinook’s Edge School Division.
The lease says no changes can be made without written consent from the school board.
Shawn Russell, associate superintendent with Chinook’s Edge School Division, confirmed the association had reached out about the line changes.
“But we don’t use them for tennis, as a school. So it really wasn’t a concern for us,” he said.
“I do understand there’s now been some concern expressed by those who play tennis as opposed to pickleball,” he added.
Shawn Russell said the school division would support a new plan if both groups agreed on changes.
“If they were to come to us with a plan, we’d be supportive of taking any necessary revisions that they wanted to make it work for both.”
In a public post on May 25, Rick Hertz responded to a question about tennis lines:
“Due to the increasing popularity of pickleball, and budget constraints of the Sundre Pickleball Association, the tennis lines will not be redone with this project.”
News in Brief: Sundre Pickleball Court Upgrade
The Sundre Pickleball Association has finished a $46,000 project to upgrade old tennis courts into new, Plexipave pickleball courts behind Sundre High School. No tennis lines were included. The club held stakeholder talks but did not survey the public. The courts are now in use, with a tournament set for June 15.
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