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Hybrid tennis and pickleball courts arrive in Redwood Meadows

Redwood Meadows has announced the arrival of new, state-of-the-art tennis and pickleball courts in the townsite this summer, thanks in part to funding from the Redwood Meadows Community Association (RMCA).

Redwood Meadows has announced the arrival of new, state-of-the-art tennis and pickleball courts in the townsite this summer, thanks in part to funding from the Redwood Meadows Community Association.

Members of the association and other community volunteers rallied together this year to revamp the townsite’s existing tennis courts to include functionality for both tennis and pickleball, as well as the inclusion of innovative VersaCourt outdoor court tiling.

According to Redwood Meadows’ mayor, Ed Perkins, the community has been “actively trying to rejuvenate” some of the aging infrastructure around town. He noted the townsite’s current tennis courts have always been a popular recreational spot for residents and guests alike.

“We’re obviously a very unique community, not just in the province, but within Canada,” he said. “These types of projects would not be possible if it weren’t for a collaboration between the Townsite, our community association, and the countless volunteers behind the scenes going back years [who invested] their time in things like casinos so that we bring in the capital to take on these projects.

“It just wouldn’t be possible without them doing a ton of the heavy lifting.”

The Economist magazine posted an article earlier this year stating pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States. Perkins said he wanted to get ahead of the curve in Canada and anticipate what the future demands for sport will be in the community in the coming years.

He added pickleball is a very fun and inclusive racquet sport that combines elements of tennis and padel.

“It’s something that we wanted to bring in because with limited space we can have a game of people in their early 20s versus some of our seniors and still have a really interesting game,” he said. “Quite honestly, [it’s fun] watching some of the seniors school some of those [who are] quite their junior.”

Perkins added VersaCourt tiling will help keep maintenance costs down over time and also provide extra versatility that other options don’t. He said that one court has been completed, as of press time, while the second court is awaiting installation of a net.

“We’re looking for a solution on how we can easily raise and lower the net for tennis and pickleball,” he said. “I think in these times of fiscal constraint, it’s more important than ever that when we revitalize, we make sure that infrastructure is diverse and as accessible as possible to as many people as possible.”

Perkins said the Townsite anticipates completion of the second court in a couple of weeks. Once it is open to the public, he said Redwood Meadows residents and their guests will be eligible to make use of the revamped recreational amenities.

“It’s important to the community that we create these open spaces that bring people together,” he said. “Certainly post-COVID, it’s been really important to try and bring people together safely and adding activity to that.”

Follow me on Twitter @carmenrcundy

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