Inline skating rink in Colorado could be converted into pickleball courts to meet growing demand
There's an interesting situation brewing in the Denver suburb of Louisville.
An inline skating rink that was built in 1998 could be converted into permanent outdoor pickleball courts, which has certainly generated some debate in town.
Back in 2019, city officials added pickleball lines and moveable nets to the rink so people could have another location to enjoy America's fastest-growing sport.
According to Louisville's Parks Planning & Project Manager, Bryon Weber, dedicated indoor or outdoor pickleball courts aren't currently available in the city.
"It's been kind of an ongoing, accumulation of public input, mostly through our recreation advisory board, and people that would attend those meetings, expressing a desire for dedicated facilities," said Weber, in a Mar. 24 story by Denver7 multimedia journalist Maggy Wolanske. "I think what we've heard from residents is that there aren't those options, whereas other municipalities have had dedicated facilities as old as a decade. So we do feel like we're kind of behind the eight ball in terms of serving the demand and the need for these types of facilities."
There are residents on both sides of the fence, of course.
An avid pickleball player, Kerri Pier is basically torn about the whole situation.
"I actually was for it. I think it would be great to have that opportunity," she said. "Though, I am concerned a little bit more about also where the in-line hockey players are going to go as well because there's not another place for that."
Skater Lena Wenzel, meanwhile, expressed concern about the conversion project.
"Well, my first initial reaction was no, this is where I've met so many amazing people, and this is where I meet families and learn about families and their kids and how they're coming together," she stated. "I was aware they had some city council meetings, but also as a longtime resident, I don't feel that I was informed, in the way that I could have been informed. I found out on social media just through the city and maybe there could have been a better way to do that."
Wenzel believes that the rink should remain a shared space for skaters and pickleballers alike.
"I definitely think that there's a lot more availability for pickleball players, indoors and outdoors, and I think we could synonymously use this rink together because we have been doing that thus far," she added.
Residents have been taking to social media to share their opinions.
In response, the Louisville City Council requested the issue be a discussion item on a future agenda.
Stay tuned.