The District of 100 Mile House council has voted to donate unused pickleball equipment to the South Cariboo Pickleball Association (SCPA).
During the April 22 District of 100 Mile House Council meeting, Council voted 4-1 to donate the equipment to the SCPA, with councillors Donna Barnett, Dave Mingo and Jenni Guimond joining District of 100 Mile House Mayor Maureen Pinkney voting in favour of the move, with Coun. Marty Norgren voting against the motion. Norgren explained that he had opposed the pickleball donation because he found it inconsistent with other recent discussions over budget constraints.
"I just find it a bit difficult when we've spent 20 minutes talking about how we're getting two bucks out of seniors walking around the community hall to pay for the rental, or that the pride society spent money on banners so that now we don't have to fill up with ours," Norgren stated. "I have trouble giving away $8,000 when we talk about 50 bucks."
The pickleball equipment had been ordered by the District of 100 Mile House in 2023 and consists of six premier three inch pickleball posts, six steel ground sleeves, six centre tie-down anchors, six velcro centre straps, and six HD outdoor pickleball nets, according to a invoice dating to April 14, 2023 that had been attached to the District of 100 Mile House's April 22 Council agenda. The items were ordered from Tomko Sports Systems Inc., which is based out of Richmond, B.C.
"The original intent was to use the products down in Centennial Park when we were going to refurbish the old, unused tennis court for pickleball courts," Pinkney explained.
The planned pickleball court had, however, been scrapped after residential concerns of noise disturbance caused by pickleball were raised, leading to council constructing new tennis and basketball courts instead.
"It's wonderful, it's being well used, and we've been storing these (pieces of pickleball equipment) ever since, in hopes to work with the South Cariboo Pickleball Association in finding a new home," Pinkney noted.
Larry Davis, the president of the SCPA, said that he is very happy to be getting the equipment. He said he had been told that the district had purchased the equipment.
"So I arranged for a letter, I contacted the admin person with the district, and she suggested I send him a letter requesting a donation of the equipment to our club," Davis said. "Getting some further donations and fundraising will be important in making the courts happen in this fiscal year."
The SCPA has a plan to construct pickleball courts at the 108 Community Centre, however, recently, there has been a roadblock in the construction of the 108 Pickleball courts. The Northern Development Initiative Trust's grant the SCPA was relying on has been reduced dramatically from $145,000 to $50,000, according to the letter by Davis to the District of 100 Mile House.
"I'm not privy to all of the insights of what's going on at NDIT. I suspect it has to do with all the impacts on government revenues given the Trump situation down south," Davis speculated. He said that currently, the SCPA is removing some portions of the plan for the 108 Pickleball courts.
"We won't be able to have an acrylic court surfacing done on the project. We will also have to postpone getting a tool lockup for the courts," Davis said.
With files from Patrick Davies.
