Pickleball players Mark Sabens, Jared Ingram, Vince Kosek and Brandon Gregorio gather at a temporary court at the Goleta Valley Community Center. The Goleta City Council this week approved a permanent court at the site.
GOLETA — The Goleta Valley Community Center will soon have permanent pickleball courts.
The Goleta City Council this week approved the center’s proposal to convert its existing tennis court into four pickleball courts.
The council came to the decision Tuesday after several public hearings.
In addition to resurfacing and renovation of the existing tennis court into four permanent pickleball courts, a fifth court will be striped to accommodate both basketball and temporary pickleball, serving two recreational uses.
Council initially discussed this item at its Jan. 18 meeting, but asked staff to return to address concerns in three primary areas: access for all, costs to play and noise.
The community center temporarily converted one of its tennis courts into a temporary pickleball court in fall 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, according to a news release.
The city expects to convert the courts this spring and make them available for public use by this summer. The center is at 5679 Hollister Ave.
The city is encouraging the community to take advantage of the other pickleball courts available in the Goleta area including those at Jonny D. Wallis Neighborhood Park, Evergreen Park and Kellogg Tennis Courts.
— Katherine Zehnder
