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Pickleball club asks parks board to expand courts, offers financial and volunteer support
Summary
David Martin, chair of the Bloomington Pickleball Club, urged the Board of Park Commissioners to convert remaining tennis courts at RCA Park to pickleball courts, include pickleball in the five-year parks plan and continue maintenance and lighting improvements to meet rising local demand.
David Martin, chair of the Bloomington Pickleball Club, told the Bloomington Board of Park Commissioners on Aug. 26 that local pickleball participation has grown rapidly and the city’s permanent court count has not kept pace. He asked the board to convert two existing tennis courts at RCA Park into additional permanent pickleball courts, to include pickleball facilities in the department’s five-year plan and to sustain responsive maintenance and lighting.
Martin presented the club’s financial and in-kind contributions to date and said the combined value of direct payments, donated materials and volunteer time since 2023 exceeds $15,000. He described payments to the parks department in prior years and projected additional payments if programming continues, and he said the club will take responsibility for day-to-day court maintenance and some event hosting if the city can provide additional permanent courts.
"We've contributed significantly financially," Martin said, adding that the club also has provided volunteer labor and equipment. "With your support, we can make RCA Park and Bloomington a regional leader in pickleball."
Matt (identified in the record only by his first name), an active player who said his son plays at a high competitive level, reinforced the request and offered that a larger permanent court footprint would allow the club to host tournaments and cover ongoing maintenance from club funds.
Board response and next steps
Tim Street, director of Bloomington Parks and Recreation, acknowledged the club’s presentation and said staff will continue to discuss facility needs with the club and park operations staff. No formal action was taken at the meeting; the item was received as public comment and will inform master-plan and capital-prioritization discussions tied to the department’s five-year planning cycle.
Why it matters
Pickleball demand affects scheduling, lighting, ongoing maintenance and capital priorities for courts at Switchyard and RCA parks. The club’s offer to invest volunteer time and program revenue into maintenance was presented as a way to stretch limited public resources, but any court-conversion or construction requires staff planning, budget allocation and timelines that staff said will be handled through the master-planning and budgeting process.
