The community interest in the sport of pickleball continues to grow. And this reflected in our ongoing discussions about sport and recreation planning in Aurora.
Thus, I am pleased to inform residents that our Town’s Draft Park and Recreation Master Plan update is coming to Council soon (April), and one of the focus areas of that plan is identifying new opportunities for the Town to provide more access to enjoy the growing sport of pickleball.
As your Mayor, I have always been committed to promoting sports and an active lifestyle in our community. I believe that it is essential that we keep up with the changing landscape of sport and recreation and ensure that we provide new opportunities for everyone of every ability to enjoy these activities. That is why I created the Mayor’s Round Table of Sports, to hear directly from sports organizations and recreational groups. The Mayors Roundtable of Sport, was launched in 2020 to , “…to empower all local sport organizations to work together to move sport forward and find solutions to address the current and upcoming challenges they are facing.” This group works collaboratively to support the needs of all sport and recreation user groups.
While pickleball enthusiasts do not yet have a formal organization, I have reached out to users to discuss how the Town can help foster the creation of a pickle ball organization to better ensure the needs of the growing sport of pickleball are met through current and future Town programming.
In the interim, pickleball representatives are encouraged to join the meetings of the Mayor’s Roundtable on Sport. Please contact me at tmrakas@aurora.ca to be informed about the exact date of the next meeting. I will be providing an update on the recommendations from our soon to be released Parks and Recreation Master Plan.
I look forward to working with you for the continued expansion and enhancement of sport and recreation programming in Aurora!
