Construction to begin on new pickleball courts in Squamish

Construction is set to begin next week on relocated pickleball courts and upgraded tennis courts in Squamish. Six new pickleball courts will be built and the two northern tennis courts will be dismantled and rebuilt.

The northern tennis courts will be closed during construction, however the two southern tennis courts will remain open throughout and are slated for an upgrade in 2024.

The project is estimated to be complete by end of August for end-of-summer play.

“Pickleball and tennis provide accessible recreation to people of all ages and abilities and so we are excited to be able to create a central space for players to play and develop their love of the game,” said Mayor Armand Hurford.  “This is one of many Brennan Park upgrades that will take place over time in order to meet the needs our growing community while improving the safety, functionality and access of our primary recreational asset.”

In 2021, the District recognized an opportunity to convert an existing amenity into six new pickleball courts at Eaglewind Park to meet the growing demand for the sport, a project that was made possible by contributions from the Pickleball Association and Whistler Blackcomb Foundation.

Ultimately, the location created significant noise for the surrounding neighbours and the District considered those concerns and proposed a relocation and construction of new courts close to Brennan Park Recreation Centre. A budget amount of $370,000 was included in the 2023 budget for six to eight new pickleball courts to replace those currently located at Eaglewind Park.

In addition to this work, the two northern tennis courts will be dismantled and rebuilt. The new courts will be realigned to fit with the pickleball courts and make best use of the available land in order to allow for future expansion, more parking and more green space. A budget amount of $300,000 was included in the 2023 for this portion of the project. The southern courts are expected to be replaced with an additional half court hitting wall in 2024.

Site work began in April 2023 which included a site survey, environmental review, invasive species removal, tree clearing, geotechnical engineering investigation and ground improvements to ensure a long-lasting court surface.  The timing of the site preparation and clearing work was based on the bird nesting season.