Pickle ball action at the Merritt Lawn Bowling facility has been approved by City Council.
A recent grant by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District of $130,000 has made the lease a possibility, sharing the facility with the lawn bowling club by constructing four pickle ball courts.
“With the dissolving of the Lawn Bowling Executive and limited play over the past couple years, this was a largely underutilized property,” said Sky McKeown, Director of Recreation & Facilities.
McKeown spoke to the remaining members of the lawn bowling club around this time last year, who expressed their desire to share the facility due to dwindling numbers and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This group has kept the building in phenomenal shape…even to this day, they are caring for that property.”
Councillor Travis Fehr expressed his gratitude to the Lawn Bowling Executive for the care that they have given the property.
“I just wanted to say thank you to them, for handing off part of it to a new and upcoming activity that will help our community…I think that there was not enough to do in Merritt, so it’s great to see new things that people enjoy being added.”
The ‘rent’ works out to $1 per year. McKeown said that it is his hope that the club will take the opportunity to sublease the property to other organizations within town for different events and things such as annual general meetings, at no or little cost.
“It is a small facility, however it has been in the past a facility that has been rented out that assisted the owning club with things like upkeep.”
The lease will put the pickle ball club in responsibility for any utility bills and the general upkeep of the building.
The pickle ball courts are expected to be completed in August of this year.
McKeown added that there are plenty of ‘avenues’ that can be taken with the new lease.
“Maybe bringing high school kids in, elementary school kids, and planting the seed early for them.
Council was all in favour of going forward with the lease.
