Pickleball, reported to be the fastest-growing sport in America, has become increasingly popular in Goleta. Due to the increased interest in the sport and demand for more courts, the city is considering a proposal to renovate existing tennis courts behind the Goleta Community Center (GCC) into permanent pickleball courts.
The Parks and Recreation Commission will consider the Goleta Valley Community Center’s proposal at a special virtual meeting, 6 p.m. Nov. 18. Interested community members are invited to attend the virtual meeting and/or provide comments on the matter.
The proposal includes the resurfacing and renovation of the existing tennis courts into four permanent pickleball courts, and a fifth court that will be striped to accommodate both basketball and temporary pickleball, serving two recreational uses.
GVCC temporarily converted one of the courts at the Community Center to a temporary pickleball court in the fall of 2019. In late spring 2020, the popularity increased, and the one court in high demand was expanded to four additional temporary courts in the existing tennis courts. This has been extremely popular, and the temporary pickleball courts are in near constant use.
The meeting will be broadcast live on the city’s website www.cityofgoleta.org/goletameetings and on Goleta TV Channel 19. Written comments may be submitted via email to sdawson@cityofgoleta.org at least 24 hours prior to the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting.
The meeting agenda, including participation instructions and the staff report with more details of the proposed project, is available on the city’s website. Direct questions about the project, to the GVCC, 805-967-1237. For questions related to the meeting, contact JoAnne Plummer, Parks and Recreation manager, 805-562-5505 or jplummer@cityofgoleta.org.
The community can use the additional pickleball courts in the Goleta area:
Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park (permanent court, first-come, first-served)
Evergreen Park (lined for pickleball games, but currently requires users to bring their own portable net)
Kellogg Tennis Courts (recently renovated by the Santa Barbara County Parks Department to include the installation of three tennis and four pickleball courts in place of the previous four tennis courts).