HomeMy WebLinkAbout2/3/2021 Item PC, O'Kelly
Wilbanks, Megan
From:Brian O'Kelly <
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:PRC - Mitchell Park Improvement Project
Dear Parks and Recreation Commision Members,
Here is a copy of my correspondence with City Council in support of the Mitchell Park Project. Also, my compliments to
Greg Avakian and Shelly Stanwick for a very good presentation of the project.
From: Brian O'Kelly, President, San Luis Obispo Pickleball Club, Inc. a 501c3 non profit.
Dear City Council,
The San Luis Obispo Pickleball Club is really excited to have this project come before the Council for consideration.
I guess by now you have figured out there is something BIG going on with Pickleball in this town and you are
correct! Everyday we see new players showing up at the few courts we have, filling the courts and waiting to get on the
next open court. It's great to see a facility so full of people having fun and creating a community of friends and families
while being outside and socially distanced during this time. SLOPB Club currently has 167 dues paying members and
another 100+ on our interest list. Right now we have three permanent pickleball courts that 12 people can play on at
once, so you see there is a huge demand for more courts.
Parks and Recreation Staff is on the right track.
If the goal is to "activate" Mitchell Park and create a place where all ages can come together to play, get some
exercise, and just have a good time, pickleball courts will make that happen.
Since pickleball has come to SLO, the city Parks and Rec Staff have been very proactive in recognizing this growing trend
and doing their best to meet the needs of the community. From the early days of the Pilot Program where we started at
zero, to today where we have the potential to have 5 permanent courts and several shared use courts, we have come a
long way in a short period of time and the pickleball players appreciate this.
Pickleball courts are money well spent.
Since the 3 new permanent courts at French Park were built and opened in Sept 2019, they have been full every single
day in the mornings (except on rainy days).
The overflow uses the mulit-use tennis court at French that has temporary nets and shared lines with tennis. For this
court the SLO Pickleball Club recently donated $3000 worth of professional quality nets for all the citizens to use and we
plan on adding more. Also, compared to a tennis court that supports 4 players at once, for basically the same cost you
can build four pickleball courts that support 16 to 24 players, again making pickleball a good value.
More Courts in SLO mean less driving out of town.
Since the available courts we have in SLO are so impacted, we have about 20-30 players everyday who drive to Shell
Beach, Arroyo Grande, Morro Bay, or Templeton to play on good courts. New courts in SLO would help to mitigate this
travel but we will still be a ways off of meeting demand. The next big pickleball project will be in the Orcutt Area Specific
Plan Community Park and we look forward to helping those 6 courts move forward.
Mitchell Park is a good choice for a small pickleball venue.
Pickleball works best with larger venues, think French Park with 7 courts or the future Rigehtti Park with 6, but there is
still a place for smaller facilities. Mitchell Park is a good choice for one of these being centrally located and in a highly
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populated area. It will quickly become a center of activity in the downtown core and draw more people to the
park. Another factor is the terrain in Mitchell is flat which will keep construction costs down.
We urge your support for this project and look forward to seeing you at the courts in the near future. When the
pandemic ends the SLOPB Club will once again start our free lesson program and invite you to join us to see what all the
fun is about!
Regards,
Brian O'Kelly, President, SLOPB Club
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