City staff spoke about plans to establish more pickleball courts based on the sport's popularity during the Plano Parks and Recreation department's town hall meeting April 13.
“Pickleball is obviously extremely important to this community,” Plano Recreation Services Manager Susie Hergenrader said. “The demand has grown exponentially over the last couple of years, and we recognize that.”
Pickleball is a paddle sport that blends features of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong, according to the website Pickleball USA. Hergenrader said the city is excited about the growing popularity of the activity because it can be played by young and old people as well as families.
Residents can play pickleball at city recreation centers. A membership provides access to all facilities, so they are likely to find a spot to play on any given day, Hergenrader said.
The city is also partnering with Plano ISD to restripe several middle school courts for pickleball, Hergenrader said.
Additionally, the city is studying the possibility of opening another senior center in the future, which would provide more opportunities for senior residents to play pickleball.
“Have we kept up with the demand? I don’t think we have, based on the feedback we get from our residents,” Hergenrader said. “We are aware that we can do more and we are working on that.”
Plano’s hourlong town hall meeting allowed residents to ask questions in person, by phone or online.
The town hall meeting is part of a community input process as the city updates its parks master plan from 2018. In addition to hearing residents’ input, the city is reviewing its inventory, assessing needs and reviewing trends in recreation.
Parks and Recreation will use the information to design a plan for the next five to 20 years. The plan is revisited every five years, according to Parks and Recreation’s website.
The entire town hall discussion is available online.
