Carnarvon ParkB次元官网网址檚 pickleball players were surprised by the reaction of the tennis community after tennis courts were left out of the parkB次元官网网址檚 redevelopment proposal.

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B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 the middle of the day and there are no tennis players here,B次元官网网址� said Brian Eccles, an ambassador for Carnarvon ParkB次元官网网址檚 pickleballers, on Tuesday as half a dozen people played pickleball.

B次元官网网址淥n average we have 20 to 30 people during the week playing pickleball; itB次元官网网址檚 rare that we see a tennis player or a group of tennis players,B次元官网网址� he continued. B次元官网网址淭ennis needs to be here in a way, but there needs to be opportunity for more diverse groups.B次元官网网址�

Eccles added that Carnarvon Park is the only place where people can play pickleball in Oak Bay while tennis players have other options, including Windsor Park and the Henderson Recreation Centre.

Meanwhile the tennis community has started an online asking the District of Oak Bay to reconsider the elimination of the tennis courts at Carnarvon Park.

As of Tuesday, the petition has over 350 signatures.

According to local resident Penny Lloyd, who started the petition, not having tennis courts at Carnarvon Park would be a B次元官网网址渓oss for the community and for competitive tennis youth players.B次元官网网址�

Robert Bettauer, CEO of Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence, called the proposed removal of tennis courts B次元官网网址渁larming and unacceptable.B次元官网网址�

But according to Ray Herman, Oak BayB次元官网网址檚 director of parks, recreation and culture, the purpose of the draft concept plans was simply to ask the community for their feedback. The district held two open houses last weekend.

B次元官网网址淲e had excellent participation this past weekend at two open houses, and the boards are still on display at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre, where people continue to put their feedback on sticky notes and post them to the boards,B次元官网网址� Herman said Monday.

An online survey, found at , remains open until Nov. 19.

B次元官网网址淎fter Nov. 19 our consultant will gather all of the information received and will work on producing a single draft concept plan, which will be presented to the community in January,B次元官网网址� Herman said. B次元官网网址淲e will again be asking for feedback to determine if the plan is meeting the needs of the majority of Oak Bay residents.B次元官网网址�

Herman stressed that no final decisions have been made so far when it comes to the parkB次元官网网址檚 redevelopment.

B次元官网网址淚n fact, we are a few months away from those types of decisions being finalized.B次元官网网址�