HomeMy WebLinkAbout3/4/2020 Item 4, Hernandez
Purrington, Teresa
From:lanny <lanny@lannyhernandez.com>
Sent:Thursday, February 27, 2020 11:01 PM
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:PRC Communication
Attachments:prc.pdf; prc.docx
Please distribute to the PRC Commissioners.
Thank you
Allan Hernandez
2060 Wilding Lane
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 543-6247
lanny@m4hz.com
Dear Parks and Recreation Commission Member,
I have just become aware of a staff report that will be / has been distributed to the commission members in
anticipation of the PRC meeting next week. I have some concerns about that report based upon some seemly
false statements and the lack of criteria expressed for its recommendations. Unfortunately I expect to be
unable to attend the meeting so these comments are in lieu of my attendance.
First of all, I am a 77 year old male who has lived in San Luis Obispo for 22 years. In the last two years I have
become an active Pickleball player as my primary form of recreation and exercise. I try to play three to four
mornings per week at the French Park courts – on both the new Pickleball courts and the temporary Pickleball
courts on the lower tennis court.
The new courts are wonderful in that 1)they do not require dragging nets on to the court each time we wish to
play, 2) they have dedicated court markings and lines that make it easier to determine whether a ball is in or
out and 3) we know that there will not be any confusion as to whether the courts are for pickleball or tennis
on that day. The courts, however, are not perfect in that the adjacent tree shadows make it difficult to see the
ball at certain times during morning and afternoon and there is no protection against the wind which can be
very strong at times. But I do appreciate the new courts.
I was very confused by the statement in the staff report that the pickleball website indicates pickleball use in
conflict with the city schedule for the dedicated courts. These courts were built in September of 2019 and I
have not seen any posted city schedule for them. If there was one created for the new courts, it must have
been hidden or the staff just assumed that the lower tennis court schedule applied to the new courts. My
opinion is that saying so seems to just gives them a rationale to be critical of the pickleball club. (I am not an
elected officer of the club)
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My understanding is that the staff has been made aware of the daily data showing the number of players
using the tennis court for pickleball and for tennis (the club has been tracking the number of players of each
for quite a while). Those data indicate that the number of pickleball players significantly exceeds
tennis. Currently Tuesday and Wednesdays mornings are reserved for tennis. Most Tuesdays there are 4
players for an hour and most Wednesdays there are NO tennis players on the tennis court between 9 am and
noon. To keep those courts only for tennis while 4 pickleball games of 4 players (16 players) could be using
those courts makes no sense. Why must I wait to play a game when the dedicated courts are full and the
tennis court is empty?
The addition of the new courts has provided a shorter wait time to play on days when the tennis court is
available since the total of the new courts and the tennis court adds up to 7 courts (3 dedicated courts plus 4
temporary courts). However, with the addition of the new courts, the number of players showing up to play
pickleball has increased. An increased number of players is good as it contributes to the overall community
health. I understand that pickleball is the faster growing sport in the nation.
Seemly underlying the staff report is that the Pickleball Club is taking advantage of the facility to the detriment
of the community. That is far from the truth. Without the club and its Group Play time I would not be able to
just arrive and find players ready to play. I would have to bring my own balls. I would have to find a private
coach or teacher to help me learn to play. I would have to rely upon City maintenance to maintain the courts
and nets. The participation of the club facilitates the smooth operation of the courts.
My recommendation to the PRC and staff is that the dedicated courts be available to be managed by the
Pickleball Club every morning. Having the club use the dedicated courts 6 days a week is not a problem (as
seemingly hinted by the staff), it is a benefit to the current and prospective players. The club’s Group Play is
not restrictive since it is open to anyone who comes to the courts.
And I recommend that the number of mornings that the tennis court is “tennis only” be reduced to one day
per week, not increased to four as recommended by staff under the guise of “In order to provide consistency
in messaging and standardizing”. And why are the afternoon’s drop in only for tennis? There are afternoons
when the upper courts are full and the overflow uses the tennis court’s temporary pickleball courts. Again, my
experience has been that few if any players play tennis in the afternoons. The staff recommendations will
seriously impact pickleball play.
For drop-in play, why should tennis players be given priority over pickleball players? My understanding was
that drop-in was first come first serve? Not first tennis players.
The last six months since the new pickleball courts have been installed have been an adequate time to access
the use of the tennis court for tennis only play. Why would the staff recommend another six months for
tennis when tennis use has almost been non-existent? Who are they trying to please?
It does not make sense for the tennis court to be empty all or most of the morning while there is an overflow
of players waiting to play on the dedicated courts.
My understanding is that the facilities are to be available to the entire community not just four lady tennis
players. The number of community members who desire to play and are playing pickleball far outweighs the
number of tennis players who have been playing at French. How can the desires of the few outweigh the
needs of the many?
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