After a year of collaboration and problem-solving, the District of Lunenburg is moving ahead with a new plan to build accessible pickleball courts at the Municipal Activity and Recreation Centre (MARC) in Dayspring.

In 2023, Council included $800,000 in its capital budget to construct six accessible pickleball courts. However, when the project was tendered in early 2024, the bids received were significantly over budget—$1.45 million and $1.8 million, respectively. At that time, Council made the difficult decision to decline the tenders due to the high cost and committed to working with the community to find a more affordable path forward.

Since then, staff and the South Shore Pickleball Club have worked closely together to revise the project scope, identify cost savings, and explore funding partnerships. Thanks to that collaboration, Council is now able to move ahead with a plan to build the courts at the MARC. The Municipality will pay for the cost of construction, estimated to be roughly $555,000. We expect grants from other levels of government and third parties to total $150,000. With the lease payments over 15 years, we expect the total cost to the Municipality to be less than $300,000.

“We heard loud and clear how important this facility is to our residents,” says Mayor Elspeth McLean-Wile. “While last year’s bids were far beyond what we could responsibly commit to, we didn’t give up. Thanks to the dedication of our staff and the incredible support and partnership of the South Shore Pickleball Club, we now have a plan that gets the project done without exceeding our financial limits.”

“The construction of these courts will be the culmination of years of hard work and collaboration. We are thrilled that our many dedicated members, which includes provincial, Atlantic, and national champions, are going to have increased access to court time,” says Jared Uhlman, President, South Shore Pickleball Club. “We’re also excited for these courts to serve as a catalyst for introducing many new players to North America’s fastest-growing sport. Our heartfelt thanks go to Council and staff for their invaluable support in making this exciting initiative a reality.”

The South Shore Pickleball Club will operate and maintain the courts, with scheduled time set aside for use by the general public (non-club members) and for District-led recreation programming.

More information about construction timelines and project details will be shared with the public as they are finalized.

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Media contact:

Sarah Kucharski
Manager, Communication and Public Engagement
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(902) 541-1328