The focus of the article on the Jan. 13 North Saanich council meeting will probably be on the interjection by a local taxpayer, who despite multiple attempts to provide constructive input about the local pickleball situation, continues, along with the rest of the pickleball community, to be shut down.

When making a presentation to council, you have three minutes to bring up a topic of concern. The Central Saanich mayor and council almost always interact with the speaker. North Saanich mayor and council often donB次元官网网址檛. They may thank you for your time, if they like what you are bringing to the table. I have spoken many times in front of this mayor and council, and no matter how respectful and how I followed protocol, I have been dismissed with cricket sounds.

Preparing a three-minute speech takes hours, and public speaking is extremely stressful, so if someone has made the effort to be there for their three-minute presentation, the least the mayor and council can do is engage with this person.  IsnB次元官网网址檛 that one of the top priorities of the district: B次元官网网址渃ommunity engagementB次元官网网址�?  

I understand the frustration pickleball players are experiencing. I have attended enough council meetings to know others feel the same way. So, if the only way you are going to be heard is to raise your voice during the B次元官网网址渘on-publicB次元官网网址� participation session, then it tells you that this district is failing at engaging with the public. Residents need to find out why it has come to this and hope it will never happen to the programs they are supporting. It might come as upsetting, some might find it entertaining, but nobody wants to be ignored about something they passionately believe in.

What the real issue is: why entertain spending close to a million dollars of taxpayersB次元官网网址� money on a brand new pickleball facility at Blue Heron Park. It will require consultations, agreement with the Memorial Society overseeing Blue Heron Park, engaging with other users, building new courts, expanding washroom facilities, increasing road access and parking, and constructing multiple sound mitigation structures. You would need to spend only 5% ($50,000) of this price to address sound mitigation at the Wain Park courts and reopen this purpose-built outdoor pickleball facility and make taxpayers and pickleball players happy.  

Sophie Lauro

North Saanich