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BACKGROUND <br /> Pickleball was invented in the 1960s in Washington and slowly increased in popularity <br /> until the early 2010s when the popularity grew by 650 percent over six years. The game <br /> is similar to tennis but played with a whiffle ball on a badminton-sized court. <br /> Approximately four pickleball courts fit in the same area as one tennis court. <br /> The City's tennis vendor, Lifetime Activities, started holding pickleball games in 2017 at <br /> Tennis and Community Park and hosts drop-in play, classes and clinics at the <br /> Pleasanton Middle School gym. Over the last couple of years, the City has received <br /> feedback from multiple residents regarding a need for dedicated pickleball courts that <br /> are available during park hours and free to residents, similar to the basketball and <br /> tennis courts in our park system. A Muirwood resident advocated for pickleball courts <br /> and recommended installing the courts at Muirwood Community Park. <br /> Pickleball courts were identified as a priority near the end of the City's Workplan <br /> process for fiscal years 2021/22 — 2024/25. While City Council expressed support for <br /> the construction of pickleball courts, no funds were budgeted in the capital improvement <br /> program at that time. Due to the stated support, City staff is proposing to include the <br /> design and construction costs for pickleball courts with the Annual Court Resurfacing <br /> Project's budget, to be completed in conjunction with the 2022/23 Annual Court <br /> Resurfacing Project, CIP No. 22744. This would include installing the necessary lines, <br /> court paint, netting and associated amenities to play pickleball in place of two of the <br /> existing tennis courts at the time of resurfacing the courts as a part of normal <br /> maintenance. <br /> Site Location Process <br /> Staff took a similar approach to determine an appropriate location for pickleball as with <br /> the skatepark and the all-abilities playground and reviewed the following sites, which <br /> have existing tennis courts that could also be used or potentially be converted to <br /> pickleball courts: <br /> • Pleasanton Middle School <br /> • Owens Plaza Neighborhood Park <br /> • Fairlands Neighborhood Park <br /> • Stoneridge Creek Neighborhood Park <br /> • Muirwood Community Park <br /> Pleasanton Middle School has two existing lighted tennis courts. Lifetime Activities <br /> currently runs drop-in pickleball at the gym on Saturdays and the City and the School <br /> District have a shared-use agreement for the existing courts. However, the proposed <br /> pickleball courts are not on City property, the potential hours of play and access would <br /> be limited to non-school hours, and the courts would likely have to be striped for both <br /> tennis and pickleball rather than striped for dedicated pickleball courts. These courts <br /> also need to be resurfaced so if it is determined that additional pickleball courts are <br /> necessary to meet demand, the City can engage in conversations with the District to <br /> resurface these courts so that they are dual-striped for pickleball and tennis. <br /> Page 2 of 5 <br />