Paddles and rackets down: Halifax balks at $2-million pickleball facility, delays proposed tennis dome

Pickleball players Tanya Maier, left, and Marina Hebert warm up while on deck to play a match at the Morash Park pickleball courts in Dartmouth on May 14, 2025. Photo by Tim Krochak /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentHalifax is taking a pass on new pickleball courts in Dartmouth and hitting pause on a proposed domed tennis facility in Halifax.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle content“The pickleball facility is around $2 million — still a lot of money — but you look at that in relation to all these major projects ($180 million on a new police headquarters and $120 million on the Forum), and we need to be creative,” said Coun. Tony Mancini (Dartmouth East – Burnside).Article contentArticle contentArticle contentHRM’s community planning committee decided last week not to fund a dedicated Dartmouth pickleball facility, leaving a community group to fundraise and pay for it if they want it to continue. Article contentThey also voted to delay, likely by years, a proposal for a domed tennis facility which might jeopardize national grant funding.Article contentBoth will face a final vote at a future Halifax regional council meeting.Article contentPickleball a growing sportArticle contentThe Dartmouth Pickleball Association would love to build a dedicated facility, rather than having a few courts tucked away in subdivisions or shared with tennis.Article contentFrank Bamstead, vice-chair of the association, said there are only five dedicated pickleball courts in Dartmouth that are in good shape.Article contentHe said pickleball, a widely growing sport, is a good investment.Article content“What other physical sport allows 36 players to play at once in the area the size of a pad required for an ice surface? When land is scarce, and the need is great, what better utilization of limited space? There is none better.”Article contentArticle contentPickleball is played in 44 municipal parks, with 80 dedicated and shared courts in HRM.Article content The shadow of a pickleball player returning a volley is seen during play at the Morash Park pickleball courts in Dartmouth on May 14, 2025. Photo by Tim Krochak /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentArticle contentBut the noise that comes with it has always been an issue.  HRM closed courts in Castle Hill Park in Halifax last year because of significant noise complaints.Article contentHRM staff looked at five locations in Dartmouth and settled on two that would make the most sense for pickleball courts by meeting noise, space and accessibility requirements: Maybank Park near Mic Mac Mall and the Dartmouth Harbour East Recreation Campus in Burnside.Article contentBut building eight courts would cost around $2 million and staff wrote in their report that it would mean bumping other projects or increasing taxes.Article contentWhile councillors agreed there’s no money for this, they didn’t want to leave the association entirely out in the cold.Article contentHRM acknowledges it can’t be a funding partner, said Coun. Jean St-Amand (Bedford – Wentworth), but holding the sites for up to five years would enable the association to “potentially take the costs completely off our table.”