HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/14/2023 Item 2, O'Kelly
Brian O'Kelly <
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:Righetti Community Park - Pickleball Support.
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Honorable Commissioners,
I would like to thank you all for the hard work and support you give to the community. The Righetti Parks plan has been
in the works for 6 years and I fully support the final plan including all the sports courts.
I have been involved with the PRC and City Staff to help develop the pickleball program in the City of San Luis Obispo for
8 years. One of the main reasons pickleball has become so popular is that it is what I call a "hive" sport. If you are a
pickleball player, whether you are single or in a group, a beginner or highly skilled competitor, young or old, all you have
to do is show up at the courts when it's convenient for you and you can pick up a game. The unique community
mentality of sharing the courts brings people together unlike anything else today. You instantly have a group of friends
with a lot of interaction and a common interest.
For this to be successful you have to have a hive. Communities across the country have realized this and pickleball
centers are popping up everywhere so this project is nothing out of the ordinary. The Righetti Park Plan with 8 courts
provides a base for pickleball to continue to grow in SLO. One of the issues from the lack of courts in SLO is we are
exporting players to other communities with courts, Shell Beach is probably most impacted followed by Morro
Bay. Shell Beach has four courts on the north end of town and on any given day there are about 10 players from SLO
taking up half their court space.
Just as the 3 permanent courts have been full every single morning since they were built, (except rainy days), I
confidently expect all 8 courts will be full and the most used facility in the park. It will be money well spent. For the
cost of just over 2 tennis courts that could serve 8 people, the 8 pickleball courts will easily be able to handle 40 players
with players rotating in. It will be serving a wide cross section of citizens, only to be outdone by the aquatics center!
This park complex is going to be a great addition to the SLO inventory of parks, Congratulations for making it happen!
Regards,
Brian O'Kelly
Past President and Board Member of SLO PB Club.
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