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Pickleball advocates press Richmond to repair Booker T. Anderson courts and finish lighting project
Summary
Players and nonprofit partners urged the Richmond commission to accelerate repairs and install lights at Booker T. Anderson courts, citing safety hazards from rising cracks, deferred grant implementation and lost reservation revenue; city staff said solar lighting is funded and scheduling details will be provided.
Advocates for Richmond’s fast-growing pickleball community urged the Recreation and Parks Commission to speed repairs at Booker T. Anderson Park and to implement a 2024 lighting grant that supporters say has sat unused.
Darlene Rose Drakin, president of the East Bay Pickle Ball Association, told commissioners the association raised private funds and won several grants to build and light courts at Booker T. Anderson (BTA). She said EBPA has $10,000 it could use toward repairs and that a $47,000 ECIA grant awarded in 2024 should help install lights; EBPA wants permission to assist with crack repairs and an implementation date so hazardous surface defects can be fixed.
"We need a completion date because those cracks are hazardous," Drakin said. "We would be willing to help with maintenance and to support programming that raises revenues for the city." Cheryl Mayer of Richmond Friends of Recreation, a longtime local nonprofit fiscal sponsor for park grants, told the commission the lighting grant "has never been implemented" and asked the commission to study and expedite award and installation so youth programs and maintenance can begin.
Several users described injuries and near-falls. Elena Vanloo, who plays wheelchair pickleball, said safe, accessible routes to courts and working night lighting are needed for inclusion and safety. Mary Hill and other regular players said they now travel to nearby cities with reservation systems and functioning lights because they worry about uneven surfaces and court availability at BTA.
City staff and Public Works said the BTA lighting and court repairs are in planning and will follow procurement and risk-management rules. Jason Lacy, parks landscape superintendent, said anchoring holes and post anchors create uneven surfaces that crews are addressing; Public Works read an email from the deputy city manager confirming that council-approved funding covers a program of lighting projects, and that BTA will receive new solar fixtures with app-based controls and scheduled on/off programming. The ECIA grant will be used to offset costs but not fully cover them, the message said.
Commissioners and staff also discussed whether lighting requires community outreach. Some commissioners asked that neighbors within a short radius be consulted about hours and brightness; EBPA offered to help facilitate community meetings. Staff said the proposed lighting uses solar, app-based controls and scheduled time windows to limit late-night use.
The commission did not take a formal vote on a change to court management on the night of the meeting. Staff said they will circulate the deputy city manager’s written response and provide follow-up scheduling and procurement details for both lighting implementation and resurfacing plans.
What's next: Public Works will finalize schedules and implementation details for the solar lighting project and provide updates to the commission. EBPA and Richmond Friends of Recreation requested the city permit collaboration so nonprofit funds and volunteers can accelerate preventative repairs and youth programming.
