TAMRMS#: B06
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Akinsdale Pickleball Courts
Notice given by: Councillor Hughes
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BUDGET POSTPONED MOTION:
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That the Akinsdale Pickleball courts are completed with sound barrier fencing for $98,000, funded from the capital reserve.
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Administration’s Understanding of the Intent of the Motion:
That Administration utilize $98,000 to complete the required fencing modifications and purchase and installation of the acoustic panels at Alpine Pickleball Court in alignment with the attached Agenda Report that was presented to the Community Living Standing Committee on February 10, 2020 then to City Council on April 20, 2020.
Operational or Organizational Impacts if Motion is Approved:
Administration would oversee necessary construction work to modify the existing fence and to supply and install and acoustic panels on the site in 2021. If this motion is approved, Public Works staff resources will be required to install and remove acoustic panels on a seasonal basis.
Financial Implications of Motion:
St. Albert Pickleball Club acquired $125,000 of grant funding in support of the 2018 development of the courts at Alpine Park. This money has been used to offset project expenses, leaving $98,700 of the initial budget remaining committed within the capital reserve.
Stakeholder Consultations:
External public communication has been ongoing with the impacted residents as well as the Pickleball Association throughout 2019 and 2020. Administration will continue to collect feedback and comments from residents in future, in alignment with current practices.
In 2019, internal stakeholder reviews were carried out with Municipal Enforcement Services, RCMP, Public Works, Planning and Development and Engineering. This internal review was valuable to ensure that this project could be implemented without creating public safety issues and that the panels would function well on the site.
Background:
Pickleball is a relatively new and emerging sport in Alberta and Canada and has seen significant growth in the region and within St. Albert. Pickleball was introduced in St. Albert in approximately 2013 and the St. Albert Pickleball Association has grown at a rapid pace over the last seven years to have a current membership base of more than 600 users.
In 2018, the tarmac and tennis courts at Alpine Park were converted into pickleball courts to meet this growing community need. The development included twelve courts, interior fencing, court surfacing and small site amenities including benches and garbage cans.
The court development was completed and open to the public in August 2018. Upon opening, the courts immediately saw high usage and were functioning to serve the growing needs for space from the St. Albert Pickleball Association, the general public and other groups including St. Albert schools. This high utilization has impacted the residents neighboring the development with the noise created by the users of the pickleball courts.
During the discussions with the impacted residents in summer 2019, Administration took the following actions:
• Worked collaboratively with the Pickleball Association to educate club members to use the courts furthest from the residences before those closest to them.
• Signed the facility to encourage low noise paddles.
• Temporarily closed two courts closest to the resident’s homes for the remainder of the play season while the acoustic fence was researched.
• In 2020, court hours of operation were changed to 8:00 AM to 9:30 PM.
Administration has worked towards finding a resolution to balance the usage of the park site to meet the program needs of the users and be responsive to the needs of the adjacent landowners. The St. Albert Pickleball Association has been a collaborative partner over the past year, discussing this issue and strategizing to mitigate the concerns.
Through research, Administration has located an acoustic paneling product with success in reducing the noise emanating from pickleball courts. The proposed product would be seasonally installed on half of the courts nearest to the resident’s home and would require fence reinforcement prior to initial use. On April 20, 2020, Administration proposed this solution to City Council, however, the following proposed motion was defeated:
That the budget for Project #418308, Pickleball Court Developments, be increased by $98,000, funded from the Community Facility Enhancement Program grant, to install noise abatement screening.
DEFEATED
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Report Date: December 1, 2020
Author: Daniele Podlubny
Department: Recreation & Parks
Deputy Chief Administrative Officer: Kerry Hilts
Chief Administrative Officer: Kevin Scoble