By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
For the sake of pickleball players and the people driving on Haskins Road, a variance was granted last week for a taller fence than normally allowed separating the new courts and the nearby road.
The Bowling Green Board of Zoning Appeals voted to allow the city to install an 8-foot fence along Haskins Road, rather than the maximum 4-foot height permitted in a front yard. The new pickleball courts are currently under construction between the Bowling Green Community Center and the road.
The same variance was granted nearly 10 years ago for the athletic fields already located behind the community center.
Kristin Otley, director of the Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department, explained that the project is the result of three years of coordination with the local pickleball advisory group. The project designer recommended the 8-foot fence as the standard height for courts. Outdoor pickleball facilities in Perrysburg and Oregon have 8-foot fences.
Not only will the higher fence keep pickleball players from chasing balls, it will also keep the balls from bouncing out onto Haskins Road.
The winning bid for the eight-court pickleball project was $640,000 was submitted by Geddis Paving and Excavation in Toledo.
The pickleball courts are expected to be finished by the end of June, with a tentative opening planned near July 4.
In addition to the eight courts, the project also includes lighting, a shelter house, seating and fencing around the entire area.
The outdoor courts will allow players to gather anytime during daylight hours in the warmer months.
The project has been championed by the BG Parks and Recreation Foundation and a dedicated group of local pickleball enthusiasts, who have raised more than $100,000 for the courts.
Currently Bowling Green residents travel to Perrysburg, Holland and Findlay if they want to play on outdoor pickleball courts. The only courts in Bowling Green currently are inside the community center, in space that has to be shared with many other purposes – youth sports, fitness classes and National Guard activities.
So in 2022, the local pickleball players served up a proposal for outdoor pickleball courts in Bowling Green. The city started the ball rolling with $150,000 in ARPA funding.
Four pickleball courts can fit on one tennis court. The games are shorter, averaging 10 to 15 minutes each. The players cover less space, don’t have to be in great shape to play, and don’t have to be super skilled to enjoy the game.
Thirty to 40 people show up every weekday from 8 to 11 a.m., to play on the indoor community center courts. It is believed that more people will use the outdoor courts.
