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Pickleball club seeks prioritized time; some residents warn reservations would exclude casual players
Summary
At a lengthy Parks & Recreation discussion, the Big Rapids Pickleball Club proposed prioritized/reserved court time and modest fees to support programming and capital improvements; some residents and a club founder argued reservation rules would displace informal players and urged staff to study compromises, conversions and usage data.
The Big Rapids Parks & Recreation Board heard competing views about whether the city’s eight public pickleball courts should allow prioritized reservations for a volunteer club that wants to run leagues and programming.
Kate Ao, who identified herself as the founder and past president of the Big Rapids Pickleball Club, opposed routine reservations for everyday play. “There was never a necessity for the club to reserve courts,” Ao said, urging the board to preserve open access and the informal “four on, four off” norm. She warned that reserving…
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