Concerns over noise and parking, backed up by hundreds of signatures on a petition, weren't enough to halt a planned sports development project at Penticton's Skaha Lake Park.
Four new pickleball courts will soon be installed at the park, near the intersection of Parkview Street and Tickleberry's ice cream shop. The city's plan, worth $270,000, will eliminate one of three existing tennis courts in the area, as a result.
John Archer, former chair of Penticton's Parks and Recreation Committee, spoke out against the plan during council's committee of the whole meeting on July 15.
He cited noise, parking, pouring of concrete in the area, health of a nearby old-growth tree, and lack of public consultation as among his concerns.
The project 鈥� paid for thanks to a $100,000 contribution from the Penticton Pickleball Club and a $170,000 provincial grant 鈥� had already been approved before Archer took centre stage at council's meeting.
Archer's last-ditch effort to have council reconsider its decision was not successful, after municipal politicians opted not to bring forward a notice of motion on the item. The longtime Penticton resident resigned from the parks board earlier this year after he felt the group was not properly engaged ahead of the project's approval, which came in 2024.
Archer launched his petition in opposition to the new pickleball courts on May 24, collecting 178 signatures.
"I was terribly disappointed that neither the mayor nor any member of council actioned my request for a motion to stop the development of the pickleball courts and return the matter to the Parks and Recreation Committee for a comprehensive review of the pickleball association's request for funding," Archer said in an email.
"There is a need for engagement of the community for their valued input into the issue."
Pickleball is widely considered North America's fastest-growing sport.
Its popularity, however, has also come with controversy in communities across the continent. Noise complaints 鈥� concerns echoed in Archer's petition 鈥� have closed pickleball courts over the last two years at multiple parks in North America, including in Halifax and Portland, Oregon.
Concerns over the sport being played close to parks and residential neighbourhoods prompted the BC Recreation and Parks Association to conduct a .
Its study concluded that a single active pickleball court, taking into account ball hits and players' voices, produces a continuous equivalent sound level of 55 to 57 A-weighted decibels. That's comparable to the noise of a household refrigerator, according to Yale University's Environmental Health & Safety.
In response to concerns expressed in Archer's petition, Penticton City Coun. Jason Reynen said he went to examine the noise coming from pickleball courts near Robson Park.
Parked across the roadway near apartment units on South Main Street, Reynen noted other noises he was hearing, including from traffic and pedestrians, to get a better grasp of the potential disruption pickleball could cause.
"It isn't all that bad of noise coming from those pickleball courts," Reynen said in a phone interview. "To me, personally, for the (nearby) residents worried about the noise issues, they're through all the trees. I'd be very hard pressed to think they're going to hear anything that's going to disturb them."
Reynen also acknowledged pickleball's mass popularity, adding he's "pro-activity" in Penticton.
"I get we're going to have some noise and disruption, but by any means, I think laughter and people having a good time outside is what we want in Penticton," Reynen said.
The Skaha Lake Park pickleball courts are expected to be completed by Labour Day weekend, according to the city. Two upgraded tennis courts are also incorporated in the plan.
Archer's petition found support from former Coun. Judy Sentes and members of the Save Skaha Lake Park Society, which formed in 2015 following a controversial water slide proposal in the area.
"I will always advocate for the preservation of the cherished parks," Archer said on July 16. "The city needs more parks and I will advocate for that as well."
