The president of the Winkler Pickleball Association is very encouraged for their future after some exciting news earlier this week.
In April of 2023, Winkler Pickleball Association President, John Klassen, asked the city council to be involved in the future planning of a dedicated multi-court facility. Now, just over a year later, the council has agreed to provide city-owned land and up to $1.5 million to construct a combination eight-court pickleball / 2 full-court basketball facility.
"We talked about downsizing it, making it smaller and something that would provide for the time being, but they (Winkler City Council) were adamantly saying 'no, we want eight courts. We want to be a hub of pickleball for Manitoba.' "
Klassen said a facility like the one they have planned, should put Winkler on the map.
"People will want to move to Winkler based on that type of recreation facility. It will bring professionals in, doctors, nurses, and others who will contribute to the community in other ways. When we have tournaments and things like that, it will provide finances for hotels, restaurants, and people shopping," Klassen highlighted.
When asked about a potential timeline, Klassen said, "The sooner, the better."
Klassen said the question has been asked whether shovels would be in the ground this fall.
"That's optimistic, but dragging it out longer just makes things more expensive and you have to re-quote everything. So we're waiting on a couple of little things, mostly some prices and final design, and getting our machine put together, and our committees."
Klassen said all of this came together really, really quickly. "We've been planning for a year, but it's just been the last week, all of a sudden there's something in the air. But we're hopeful that it's sooner than later."
The final plans will still need to be tweaked, however, Klassen expects the facility to be around 20,000 square feet.
"It will have some kind of separation, either a curtain or a different part of the building where you can have a basketball game happening simultaneously, and four pickleball courts going on simultaneously. The space needed for a basketball court is fairly big."
The facility would also include a vestibule with washrooms, change rooms, and a place where people can sit and spectate. "But, the main focus of this building is recreation. We want to provide recreational opportunities, pickleball, and basketball for the community of Winkler and the area."
Still needing to raise an additional $1.5 million for the project, Klassen said it will be a big hill to climb. He said they will explore numerous fundraising avenues, including applying for various grants.
The Winkler Pickleball Association currently has around 250 members and is growing.