Pickleball players get chance to weigh in on initial designs for improved Demuth Park facilities

With a more extensive discussion about parks in Palm Springs looming in the future, a gathering Wednesday evening was designed to focus on pickleball — specifically, plans to expand and improve the city’s largest facility dedicated to the sport and its players.

Roughly 50 pickleball enthusiasts turned out at Demuth Community Center for the first of two community meetings about the city’s efforts to expand the number of courts at Demuth Park and improve both the flow of players and amenities available to them.

The opportunity to share their thoughts was met with an enthusiastic response, as attendees first listened to a short presentation about a pair of initial concepts and then gathered at three stations to weigh in. They were tasked with focusing on themes — court layouts, amenities, and how to manage player rotation on the courts.

One concept would see the number of courts double, from 12 to 24. The other would see 20 courts while preserving an existing adjacent tennis court. Both would include a larger “flex court,” allowing for ADA pickleball, tennis, and tournaments.

Players who frequent the current courts have expressed the desire for more shade, an easier way to negotiate getting on and off the courts, and a better system for determining which players are next in line for a court. All those issues were addressed in the initial concepts presented Wednesday evening, as was the concept of adding seating for spectators and a gathering place for players.

After reviewing and discussing the concepts at breakout stations, a few common themes emerged from the feedback. The 24-court option was slightly preferred, as was a desire to preserve existing trees near the courts and keep the tennis court.

Among other ideas, attendees asked that more consideration be given to adding windscreens, a solid back wall for practice, bike racks, and shade over the courts to help players deal with the intense heat of summer.

Representatives from Kimley-Horn, the consulting firm hired by the city in August to help guide the efforts, will now use the feedback to rework some of the designs. They hope to present their updated efforts at a second community meeting in December.

If all goes as currently planned, ground should be broken on the new courts next summer and the project would be finished in early 2025. Construction would take place in stages, allowing for little to no disruption in play.

Funding for the project was included in the five-year capital improvement program passed during the city budget process last year. It comes in part from funds derived from the Measure J tax, a one-cent sales tax on every dollar spent in the city, except for groceries and prescription medications.

Parks and Recreation Director Yvonne Wise said Wednesday that while improving pickleball courts at Demuth Park is a priority, it’s not the only place to play in the city. Indoor courts are available at Demuth Community Center and the James O. Jesse Desert Highland Unity Center.

In addition, Wise said, the public will have an opportunity to tell the city where else courts should be built and how parks should be improved overall during the upcoming parks master plan process. That effort kicked off in earnest recently with the City Council approving funds that will be used to hire a consultant to guide the process.

The public can also expect more community meetings about parks, she said. Those opportunities include a Dec. 5 meeting to discuss the Swim Center and another on a date to be determined to discuss the dog parks at Demuth Park.

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