NRSA seeks padel courts and more pickleball capacity; project bid leaves roughly $200,000 gap

Presenters from the NRSA updated the Nantucket County Land Bank Commission on July 8, 2025 about a planned expansion of their Hinsdale Road facility that would add padel courts, increase pickleball capacity and enlarge parking; they said the project bid came in higher than available Community Preservation Committee grants, leaving a shortfall of roughly $200,000 and that they are continuing fundraising and planning.

The update matters because NRSA said the expansion is intended to meet sharply rising public demand for court time on Nantucket: NRSA reported about 380 members and large nonmember “drop-in” participation, and told the commission the work would both add public court access and permit an estimated increase in membership capacity.

Mark (NRSA board president/presenter) and Karen (NRSA board member/presenter) led the presentation and answered commissioners’ questions about membership rules, revenue and timeline. Mark said, “we have 380 members. A membership is $500, annual cost.” He and other NRSA representatives described two pricing paths for nonmembers: a $15 drop-in fee for open-play sessions and a $60 fee for a reserved 90-minute block. Presenters said guest fees generated roughly $60,000 in the trailing fiscal year and that total annual revenue from memberships and guest fees is in the $260,000–$270,000 range.

NRSA described the expansion plan as replacing or reconfiguring courts to add padel (sometimes spelled “padel” in the presentation) and additional pickleball courts, plus expanded parking and ADA accessibility updates. The presenters said they have received Community Preservation Committee (CPC) grant support in three separate awards totaling about $1.495 million but that the contractor bid exceeded that amount. Mark said the bid “came in higher than we expected” and left “a gap of slightly over $200,000.” He also said the organization has roughly $340,000 in reserves and a $350,000 line of credit that could be used if needed.

NRSA described professional costs already incurred: the consultant CHA has charged about $128,000 for design and planning work. Mark said the group expects to contract court-builders (presenters named contractors including Wholegate Partners and Cape Island Tennis & Padel) and tentatively planned to begin construction in fall 2025, with court painting and surface work scheduled for the spring so courts would be ready for the next playing season. “We could do this project,” Mark said, noting the organization preferred to close the funding gap without exhausting its reserves.

Presenters emphasized that no request for funding from the Land Bank was being made at the meeting. They also described operational details commissioners asked about: members can reserve courts seven days in advance while nonmembers can reserve three days out; members are limited in how many court reservations they may hold (presenters said members are limited to three courts in a seven-day period); drop-in sessions (seven per week) reserve a three-hour block where anyone can show up and rotate play; and recent efforts added 30 year-round memberships targeted to younger year-round residents.

On maintenance and operating costs, presenters said pickleball and padel courts are relatively low-maintenance compared with hard tennis courts; they estimated annual maintenance could increase to about $50,000 once the new courts are added. Presenters also discussed likely membership growth if the expansion proceeds: they estimated adding roughly 100 members (from about 380 toward 500), while saying they would keep substantial open-play time for nonmembers.

Commissioners asked about wait lists, public access and membership allocation. Christina (commissioner) pressed for breakdowns of member versus nonmember use; NRSA said they do not currently track overall member/nonmember percentages but estimated that, during drop-in sessions, nonmembers often represent at least half of participants. Commissioners also highlighted the need for an open and fair process if membership expansion is offered in the future.

The commission did not take any funding action. Commissioners thanked the NRSA representatives for the presentation; NRSA said it would continue fundraising and finalizing procurement and schedule.

The presentation included references to the consultant CHA, contractors Wholegate Partners and Cape Island Tennis & Padel, and to local builder Joao Catino (identified by NRSA as a board-affiliated builder), and to the Community Preservation Committee grants that make up the bulk of the identified funding.

NRSA also noted community programming—the facility runs leagues, clinics and open-play sessions, and hosts tournaments that draw off‑island participants—underscoring the presenters’ argument that the expansion would serve both members and the broader public.

No formal action, appropriation or vote on the expansion was taken by the commission at this meeting.