Powell River Racquet Centre will close its doors for good, on February 8, leaving those who play tennis, pickleball and badminton without a facility.
Racquet centre treasurer Mike Kenyon and president Jeff Lynskey told the Peak that the facility located at 4320 Joyce Avenue started off as the Powell River Tennis Centre in 2017.
"It was a repurposing of the old SuperValu building," said Kenyon. "At first it was a private facility run by Igor Skobkarev and then in 2019 run by the Powell River Sports and Fitness Society."
Kenyon said that although the tennis centre provided unlimited access for members and pay-as-you-go time for the general public, plus access to a professional coach, operating costs exceeded revenue.
"Over the years since then, the racquet centre's membership grew significantly, largely because of the addition of pickleball," said Kenyon. "Today, the racquet centre is operating at a profit and while it could afford to pay more in rent, the landlord has found a tenant willing to pay a lot more than the racquet centre can afford."
The Peak reported at the October 22 city committee of the whole meeting that councillors heard from qathet Pickleball Association (qPA) president Susan Young, who said the association is seeking up to one acre of land in the vicinity of Powell River Recreation Complex to build a dedicated pickleball facility.
The Peak spoke with Young and qPA director at large Lynn O'Reilly in December about what the next steps are for pickleballers in the qathet region.
"qPA's location at the Powell River Racquet Centre was always meant to be a temporary space," said Young. "It's not a space where we can hold any kind of sanctioned tournament."
qPA started sharing the space with Powell River Sports and Fitness Society more than two years ago, as a means to promote the sport of pickleball in the qathet community. Efforts by Young and other qPA members have paid off, resulting in a plethora of new members.
"We've been utilizing the space in order to run coaching, in order to do skills and training, and in order to teach," said Young. "They've been very kind to let us use the space in order to do the work we need to do."
O'Reilly emphasized that although there are four in-door courts at the Oceanview Education Centre gym on Nootka Street, all other courts in town are outside, and so, mostly unusable in the sometimes long west coast winter/rainy season.
Now, qPA has a business plan that could potentially lead to the association leasing city-owned land to build an eight-court indoor pickleball facility. Young said that although city councillors heard the qPA request, and seemed in agreement that another facility is needed, she wants the city to act more urgently, due to the fact that pickleball is growing in popularity in the region.
"We think, anecdotally, there's at least between 250 to 300 pickleball players in Powell River right now, and that's not even including the students we've taught and the youth who want to get into it," said Young. "It's one of the most accessible and inclusive sports that I know of that within 90 minutes you can be playing it."
O'Reilly said that ideally, they would like a facility where qPA could hold tournaments that are sanctioned, meaning the set-up of the game fits a certain criteria and is endorsed by Pickleball Canada (PBC). Young and O'Reilly believe a new facility would be a boon for sports tourism in the city.
"In some ways, the [racquet] centre closing is somewhat of an opportunity for the city to step up and support change and growth," said Young. "We've now got a quote and a building plan of how much it would cost, and the type of building that would be suitable."
Young said qPA wants to approach the city again soon, to ask for a faster timeline.
"We've got a fundraising plan in place and we were going to hit the ground running in January," said Young. "We are a little-bit disappointed with the fact that they [City of Powell River] haven't prioritized us."
Young and O'Reilly believe the new facility would not only be for pickleball players, but could be a kind of fitness hub.
"My big dream would be to have the 55-plus BC Games here," said Young. "We have a pool, we have a running track, we have it all here."
Young believes having a proper pickleball facility would bring dollars into the city, and that it's not just older folks who are into pickleball, but the younger generation are starting to discover the sport.
"We did a five-day course for youth out in the Townsite courts in the summertime," said Young. "The kids loved it and we believe a new facility would be a benefit for everybody in the city."
Join the Peak’s email list for the top headlines right in your inbox Monday to Friday.
