GVR approves new pickleball courts

To applause and some cheers Tuesday from some pickleball enthusiasts, Green Valley Recreation authorized construction of two new courts and to refurbish the existing court.

GVR’s board of directors took the action at its monthly meeting where it also heard about a sinking spa at the Las Campanas recreation center.

Director Marge Garneau, chairman of the planning and evaluation committee, moved to build the new courts and to refurbish the existing court after the local GVR Pickleball club donated $7,100.

A Pickleball Club spokesperson said there are 112 players in Green Valley.

Pickleball was developed in 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Wash., as a kind of tennis that the whole family can play.

Its popularity mushroomed.

The name comes from the name of the dog of the family that developed the game—Pickles.

Pickles would often chase errant balls and then hide in the bushes with it. Eventually it became Pickles’ ball and the game’s name morphed to pickleball.

A Web site note about the game states pickleball is “played on thousands of school P.E. programs, parks and recreation centers, correctional facilities, camps, YMCA’s and retirement communities.”

It adds “The sport is becoming very popular among active senior adults.”

GVR Executive Director Anndrea Blackshear reported that part of the Las Campanas spa has sunk at least two inches.

It’s closed until it can be replaced.

Blackshear said workers discovered a nearby leaking water line that apparently washed away some supporting earth.

She told the directors the association is negotiating with its insurance company for a settlement, but she added that there’s a $10,000 deductible amount to pay for replacement for the $33,000 spa.

She said the insurance company wants to lower the value of the spa due to its age, meaning the amount it wants to pay would be less that the replacement cost minus the $ 10,000 deductible.

The directors also created a 401(K) oversight committee to look after retirement investments for employees. Larry Heisermann was named chair.

jlamb@gvnews.com | 547-9749