Members of The Courts Cape Coral took concerns about limited access to advanced-player courts to the Cape Coral City Council Wednesday.”They built some of the most beautiful courts I’ve ever played on,” said player Vince Hamilton. “They’re world-class.”However, he expressed worries that some courts are being taken away from members who pay at least $250 per year. The facility uses a contractor’s VAIR rating system to rank players, which comes at a cost.”The times are being reduced. The amount of courts that we can play on is being reduced, which is causing a lot of congestion, especially when the snowbirds come back down, which is happening here in about a week. Even now, it’s slow times. They’re congested,” Hamilton said.The facility uses a contractor’s VAIR rating system to rank players, which comes at a cost.The management and the city of Cape Coral said this system ensures fairness that other free rating systems do not provide. However, Hamilton and Steve Ballard prefer the standard free rating system, DUPR.”The initial open play was built on the backbone of the members being able to play together, and now what’s happening is they are splitting us up,” Ballard said. “They are limiting the courts.”A private management company runs the facility, and they stated that the VAIR rating system is not mandatory and is part of a six-month pilot program. Ballard, Hamilton, and Wayne Wall said this was not clearly communicated.”They’re kind of trying to force you to pay that fee to play, almost like making a private club inside of a public club that, ‘Oh, you can’t play on these courts unless you pay this extra fee,'” Wall said. “I just don’t think that’s right or fair to the players.”The city clarified that only three courts are limited to VAIR-rated players. However, the residents emphasized that the issue is about transparency.Hamilton said, “We just want to protect that. We want to be listened to and we want the courts to be preserved, especially in that open play, part of the morning.”The management at the courts plans to send a survey to members in December to gather feedback. The city also noted that there are other free pickleball amenities in town. DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.
Members of The Courts Cape Coral took concerns about limited access to advanced-player courts to the Cape Coral City Council Wednesday.
“They built some of the most beautiful courts I’ve ever played on,” said player Vince Hamilton. “They’re world-class.”
However, he expressed worries that some courts are being taken away from members who pay at least $250 per year. The facility uses a contractor’s VAIR rating system to rank players, which comes at a cost.
“The times are being reduced. The amount of courts that we can play on is being reduced, which is causing a lot of congestion, especially when the snowbirds come back down, which is happening here in about a week. Even now, it’s slow times. They’re congested,” Hamilton said.
The facility uses a contractor’s VAIR rating system to rank players, which comes at a cost.
The management and the city of Cape Coral said this system ensures fairness that other free rating systems do not provide. However, Hamilton and Steve Ballard prefer the standard free rating system, DUPR.
“The initial open play was built on the backbone of the members being able to play together, and now what’s happening is they are splitting us up,” Ballard said. “They are limiting the courts.”
A private management company runs the facility, and they stated that the VAIR rating system is not mandatory and is part of a six-month pilot program. Ballard, Hamilton, and Wayne Wall said this was not clearly communicated.
“They’re kind of trying to force you to pay that fee to play, almost like making a private club inside of a public club that, ‘Oh, you can’t play on these courts unless you pay this extra fee,'” Wall said. “I just don’t think that’s right or fair to the players.”
The city clarified that only three courts are limited to VAIR-rated players. However, the residents emphasized that the issue is about transparency.
Hamilton said, “We just want to protect that. We want to be listened to and we want the courts to be preserved, especially in that open play, part of the morning.”
The management at the courts plans to send a survey to members in December to gather feedback. The city also noted that there are other free pickleball amenities in town.
DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.