Pickleball’s Fight for Space in Evanston’s Parks: As the city of Evanston continues to grapple with park improvements that cater to pickleball enthusiasts and tennis players, neighboring Skokie is making strides in the pickleball facilities. The Skokie village board recently approved plans for a new indoor complex, aptly named Pickledilly, to be constructed at 4919 Main St. This state-of-the-art facility will feature 11 dedicated indoor pickleball courts, complete with on-site parking, training spaces, and even yoga classes.
According to Patrick Deignan, Skokie’s communication and community engagement director, the complex is expected to open its doors in early 2025, marking a significant enhancement to the area’s pickleball offerings.
Currently, Skokie boasts six indoor pickleball courts at the Weber Leisure Center and an impressive total of 13 outdoor courts across four parks. Meanwhile, Evanston’s pickleball and tennis players have been going through a less-than-ideal setup with a limited number of shared courts, where lines for both sports are painted side by side. This temporary fix has led to frustration among players of both sports, prompting city officials to seek solutions.
Frustration Among Players
At a recent series of meetings organized by Parks and Recreation Director Audrey Thompson, tennis and pickleball fans voiced their concerns as Evanston looks for a path forward. Regina Wootton, a tennis veteran with over 50 years of experience and a board member of the Evanston Tennis Leagues Association, expressed her disappointment regarding the lack of dedicated facilities for pickleball.
“From my understanding, pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in America. Evanston seems to be behind its peers in terms of dedicated pickleball facilities. At this time, we coexist on courts that have been painted with both tennis lines and pickleball lines.” – (Wootton)
Players have encountered challenges with the dual-striping of courts at Cartwright, Fitzsimmons, James, Lovelace, and Mason Parks, which complicates play.
“It’s confusing. If you play on a court with both sets of lines, it can be hard to call balls.” – (Wootton)
The Net Challenge
Rob Bady, a passionate pickleball player, echoed Wootton’s sentiments.
“Everybody wants to have their own place. Once you play on a dedicated pickleball court, there is almost no going back. Having all of our tennis courts with double lines is super confusing.” – (Rob Bady)
Fran Wiechart, who grew up playing tennis and is now an avid pickleball player, pointed out an additional complication with the shared courts.
“The net is a different height. The pickleball players adjust the net as they need to, then the tennis players put it back. That constant touching of the net and the mechanism that lengthens and shortens it wears the equipment out. Plus, you have to have a measuring tape. It’s complicated.” – (Fran Wiechart)
Despite these issues, Wiechart remains hopeful.
“Everyone—tennis and pickleball players alike—agree that dual lining is not ideal. The good news is that everybody wants dedicated pickleball courts. We can all check the box and say there will be no argument on dedicated pickleball courts.” – (Fran Wiechart)
Location Debate
As the discussion about dedicated courts continues, the location of these facilities has become a hot topic. Initially, the pickleball community had high hopes for a new court complex at James Park, but those plans were deemed cost-prohibitive. The city has since opted to convert existing tennis courts into pickleball courts as a more budget-friendly alternative.
During recent meetings, Bady reported that James, Leahy, Mason, and Cartwright Parks were all discussed as potential sites. He believes that James Park is ideally situated to serve the community.
“Given the explosion of pickleball popularity and its proven ability to get folks of all ages moving, a dedicated complex of 12 or more courts at James Park could help Evanston catch up with neighboring communities and make a big splash. We are way behind, but we have an opportunity to put ourselves right up there in first place by making or converting James to dedicated pickleball.” – (Bady)
Bady also highlighted the limited options for pickleball players in Evanston.
“We’re landlocked. The only place we can go is to a tennis court. I always use the analogy that we’ve been invited to a marble game, but we have no marbles.” – (Bady)
Compromise in Sight?
Candace Kuczmarski, who plays tennis and pickleball, attended one of Thompson’s meetings and felt that her voice was valued. However, she expressed reservations about James Park being the best location for conversion. Kuczmarski suggested that Leahy Park, with its four courts, would be a more suitable alternative.
“My view is that James Park was just done last year, and Lovelace a couple of years ago. We’ve spent some significant taxpayer dollars renovating those courts, and they’re beautiful.” – (Kuczmarski)
“Keep the striping at James and address Leahy Park. The courts are so bad that no one wants to play there because they’re afraid of ending up in the hospital. They haven’t been renovated yet,” Kuczmarski emphasized, noting that Leahy Park also has the advantage of on-site bathrooms, a feature lacking at James Park.
Wiechart concurred with Kuczmarski, stating that Leahy Park could accommodate 12 pickleball courts.
“For the tennis people, James Park is crucial because of league play. There are only two large-format venues in Evanston—James and Lovelace. Lovelace is off the table because the city needs it for camps, lessons, and programming.” – (Wiechart)
In Wiechart’s tennis league, three teams require five courts for weekly matches, while two teams need four courts. Only James Park and Lovelace Park currently have six courts available.
Bady acknowledged the challenges of accommodating league play but remains optimistic that a compromise could be reached.
“The Parks and Rec would have to make room at Lovelace for the tennis folks to move their pickleball leagues and pickleball tournaments. The city, I believe, would be willing to pivot. We have a ton of tennis players that actually play pickleball. There’s a lot of love here.” – (Bady)
News in Brief: Pickleball’s Fight for Space in Evanston’s Parks
Evanston is going through challenges in enhancing its pickleball facilities as Skokie moves forward with a new 11-court indoor pickleball complex, set to open in early 2025. Local pickleball players face frustrations with dual-lined courts shared with tennis players, prompting community discussions about dedicated facilities.
While James Park was initially considered for a new complex, cost concerns have shifted focus to converting existing tennis courts. Stakeholders are debating optimal locations, with Leahy Park emerging as a strong candidate due to its renovation needs and available space, highlighting a desire for collaboration between tennis and pickleball communities.
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