The city is looking for other spaces where residents can play

Kathy Sykes suffered from a deep depression before she learned to play pickle ball. Unlike many cities, Durango does not allow baseball players to play on its tennis courts. (Jerry McBride file/Durango Herald)

With pickle ball becoming increasingly popular, the city of Durango is looking to find outdoor spaces where it can host players of this thriving sport.

In many communities nationwide, pickle ball players are allowed to play on tennis courts, but not in Durango.

Many Durango-owned tennis courts are located within neighborhoods, and pickleball can be a bit loud at this location, Parks and Recreation Director Tori Nikom said.

“It makes it difficult to put pickle ball pitches on tennis courts, not physically, but use them,” Nikom said. “The sound of a pickle ball produced by the crackling of the oars on the ball tends to be devastating in the neighborhood setting.”

It is a problem that communities across the country have to address.

Nikom said he understands that there are a number of people who enjoy blended ball and that the city is looking to develop outdoor playgrounds on one of its properties in the future.

“I will reopen talks about where we can permanently build the baseball stadiums,” he said. “We are looking at a few options on our property. … we are trying to find accommodations, but it is not as easy as you thought it would be.”

If the city is quick to find a place to develop outdoor pickle ball courts, Nikom said, it will likely be 2023 at the earliest before those courts are open to the public.

“We’d like to be able to have it in the coming spring and summer, but realistically it probably won’t happen until 2023,” he said.

Unlike many cities, Durango does not allow baseball players to play the game on its tennis courts. (Durango Herald file)

Nycum said he’s open to community suggestions for buckleball sites, and that he’s working with the local buckball community to address the shortage of outdoor playgrounds.

“We’re even trying to be creative and find some paved open areas where we can put temporary courts,” he said. “If anyone has any ideas or suggestions out there, we’re all ears.”

In the past, the city has worked with the school district to allow the pickle game at Needham Elementary School and Durango High School.

“We put pickle lines on the playgrounds in elementary school this summer, and that once again caused some issues with the neighborhood because of the pickle ball noises,” Nikom said.

In high school, the tennis courts were retooled and the baseball lines were not added as part of this project.

Pickleball is allowed at the Durango Community Recreation Center, but there are no outdoor options in town for onion ball players.

“It’s very popular,” said assistant recreation director Kelly Jaycox.

In the mornings when the pitches are scheduled specifically for baseball, about 25 to 30 players show up per day, Jaycox said.

“If you came in around 10:30, you would see about 25 people in the gym playing pickle ball,” she said.

njohnson@durangoherald.com