The Keller City Council denied the construction of four lighted pickleball courts at Bear Creek Park during its regular meeting Dec. 6. But that does not mean the project is dead, only delayed a bit.

Pickleball is a sport similar to tennis that is played using composite or wooden paddles to hit a perforated plastic ball over a net. According to USA Pickleball, which is the governing body of the sport, it enjoyed growth rates of 21.3% from 2019 to 2020 and 14.8% from 2020 to 2021. In the past five years, the average annual growth rate has been 11.5%.

While several council members support the addition of pickleball courts, the proposed location at Bear Creek Park came up for debate.

“I’m for more pickleball courts in Keller, but I think there’s better places for courts than Bear Creek Park,” Council Member Shannon Dubberly said. “People came to us to make [the park] safer, and our response is to put a pickleball court there. That’s just the wrong way to go about it.”

Mayor Pro Tem Ross McMullin, who said he plays pickleball, echoed Dubberly’s point about safety and offered a reminder that financial consideration must remain top of mind when council considers the development of parks and recreation amenities.

“I know all of us on council pride ourselves on listening to feedback from residents, and for me I heard very split feedback from residents,” McMullin said. “Whenever we’re considering a parks and recreation project in particular, I want to make sure that we’re allocating funds and striving to do the best project we can. I’m concerned about some of the financial considerations we’re facing as a city, specifically related to our sports park project. I would like to keep our financial reserves available, so that way we can really maximize our efforts and focus in on the sports park.”

Mayor Armin Mizani voiced his support of adding pickleball courts, but not until the safety and parking issues are worked out. He asked that staff come back to council with a redesign of the concept showing additional courts at Bear Creek Park with the number of additional parking spaces.

“I’m comfortable with putting it at Bear Creek Park so long as the parking is addressed,” Mizani said.