City gives OK for pickleball courts at Rec Center

WILLIAMSBURG — A community group that wants to make pickleball more available received approval from the Williamsburg City Council this week for installation of outdoor courts at the Recreation Center.

Nichole Winegarden, director of the Rec Center, said the community group looked for a new location after the Williamsburg City Council shot down a previous request to put pickleball courts on the south side of the Rec Center.

That location wasn’t feasible because of underground utilities, the council said.

“So [strength coach] Mitchell [Stahl] and I looked a bit more,” Winegarden said.

Winegarden asked the city council for permission to put four pickleball courts on the north end of the gravel parking lot west of the Rec Center and south of the playground equipment.

Rec Center restrooms and the restrooms at the ball fields would be available. Parking and lighting are already there, Winegarden said.

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“I’m willing to give up some parking,” said Winegarden. The gravel lot has plenty of room for both the pickleball courts and parking.

People park very loosely, Winegarden said. Individual spaces are not marked in the gravel.

The courts would take up space for about 20-25 vehicles, Winegarden estimated. “There’s still plenty of space there for parking.”

The committee had looked at other options, such as putting courts in by the outlet mall, said Jodi Stahl. “It didn’t really fit our criteria.”

The mall is not community-based land, Stahl said, and the committee couldn’t raise funds for it. The organization can raise money for pickleball courts on city property, she said.

Other towns are putting in pickleball courts, said Stahl, but in Williamsburg, a group of residents are interested enough in the sport to do the work and provide funding themselves.

The community group is pursuing its 501(c)(3) designation and received a $600 donation to pay for it, said Stahl.

The Rec Center doesn’t plan to get rid of the indoor pickleball courts, said Winegarden. The outdoor courts will provide additional courts, not replace what is currently there.

The outdoor courts will be available when the Rec Center is closed or busy, said Michael Mulligan. Rec Center hours aren’t always convenient for working people, he said.

“We’re willing to step up, if you’re willing to give us permission,” said Mulligan. “We need to show the community that the city supports us.”

Williamsburg City Manager Aaron Sandersfeld explained that, because the courts will be on city property, the city has to follow laws concerning construction. “We’d have to engineer it,” said Sandersfeld.

Hiring an engineering firm could cost $40,000, Sandersfeld said, but the community group could conduct fundraisers to pay for it.

Fundraising will have to pay for maintaining it as well, said Councilman Tyler Marshall.

“I think it’s a good cause and all that,” said City Councilman Dale Walter. But the city’s budget won’t handle it, so the money will have to come from the community group.

Bloom food truck

The City also agreed during its July 22 meeting to allow Bloom to sublease space at the Rec Center from Legacy. Bloom owner Joslyn Hawkins made the request of the council by phone.

Hawkins proposed a one-year lease — Aug. 10, 2024 to Aug. 10-2025 — for use of the rear storage unit and concession kitchen space in the Rec Center.

The primary purpose of the lease is to store the food truck. Bloom also asks to use the kitchen to prep food for resale.

From May to September, the truck will need to be plugged in overnight between stops when not on the road, said Hawkins. During the off-season, October through April, the truck will be shutdown and locked up.

Bloom also proposed providing Grab & Go snacks in a refrigerator in the front visitor area of the Rec Center so people can buy acai and other fresh, healthy snacks.

Bloom would also serve concessions from the kitchen area for occasional Bloom events but would agree not to use concession space during the Rec Center’s Booster Club Tournament, the Pheasants Forever Banquet or Dueling Pianos, Hawkins said.