Tennis association and pickleball club ask city to address maintenance, drainage and add courts to meet demand

Representatives from the Sierra Vista Tennis Association and Sky Island Pickleball Association told the council Thursday that maintenance backlogs, drainage problems and missing amenities are reducing safe play and limiting the city’s ability to host larger tournaments.

Ryan, a neighborhood representative who organized the joint presentation, said the groups pooled maintenance requests to present a unified list of needs for both tennis and pickleball courts. He described cracked surfaces on the newer tennis courts, missing bolts on fence posts, broken net posts on pickleball courts and inadequate wind screens and shade.

Michael Wetzel, president of Sky Island Pickleball Association, told the council the sport draws a broad cross‑section of residents and that additional courts would see heavy use. "Pickleball to us is is not only just everything, but it's family," Wetzel said. "There's every race. There's every religion, social, economic status out there, all ages, and all abilities." He said his organization currently rents courts elsewhere for events and that an eight‑court expansion would be used and could generate income for the city.

Jeff Emery, president of the Sierra Vista Tennis Association, said tennis remains active locally (he estimated roughly 60 members) but that USTA‑sanctioned tournaments require courts to meet specific standards the city’s courts currently do not meet. He thanked city staff who have worked on repairs while also stressing remaining maintenance needs.

Presenters proposed several short‑term fixes — improved installation of wind screens, replacement or repair of damaged net posts, additional benches and hydration stations, addressing drainage that brings mud onto courts during rain events — and longer‑term options such as resurfacing to meet USTA standards. The groups suggested adding additional pickleball courts on the west side of the nearby basketball court (an area with former RV hookups) where organizers said space would allow more courts than simply converting the basketball surface.

City staff and council members encouraged the groups to meet with Laura, the parks and recreation director, to walk the site and prioritize repairs. Councilmembers said they appreciated the groups’ volunteer work and asked staff to follow up. Council Member Rodriguez asked that staff send council a short email summarizing the outcomes of staff‑group meetings so elected officials remain informed.

What happens next: Staff said they will meet with the club representatives to review photos and priorities, investigate warranty coverage for recent surfacing work, and identify potential funding sources (including grants and the organizations’ nonprofit status) to help pay for repairs or expansion.