Castro Courts Open

Pickleball players wait outside the fence at the Castro Park courts. Photo by Cathy Taruskin

Six new state-of-the-art pickleball courts opened Tuesday on the former tennis courts in Castro Park, to the delight of local pickleball players. What’s more, because the new reservation system for the courts was not up on July 8, play was free all day for everyone.

The reservation system is expected to open by Monday, July 14, on the city of El Cerrito website.

Pickleball Group Raised $100,437

The two courts at Castro have been used as temporary pickleball courts for several years now, but turning the space into permanent pickleball courts took years of planning, persuasion and fundraising. The East Bay Pickleball Association raised $100,437 to pay for the courts, while the city paid $29,000 that was part of the maintenance budget for Castro.

A Great Day in Pickleball History

“This is a great day in East Bay pickleball history,” Emiliano Carrasco said on Tuesday (July 8). “It’s been a while since I played here. The courts got in some bad condition. The game just kind of moved away from here. It’s good to see it’s renewed now.”

Said Robert Wong, “This is beautiful! We’ve been working on this for three or four years. I play all over the East Bay. This is probably the best public court in the East Bay now.”

“State of the Art” Courts

What makes the Castro courts state-of-the-art? It’s not just that they’re pristine, with crisp white lines on smooth two-tone blue courts. It’s not just that there are permanent nets so players no longer have to set them up. It’s not just the color-coded court signs: red for advanced, blue for intermediate, and green for beginner-friendly players.

These are all desirable features, but what’s unique is that each court is defined by individual fencing, which prevents other players’ balls from rolling into the next court.

Players Connie Wong and Dave Peterson said they don’t know of any other public courts in the East Bay that have fencing around each individual court.

Cathy Taruskin, the vice president of the East Bay Pickleball Association who led the effort to bring the new courts to El Cerrito, said she believes that the next closest individually fenced courts are in Novato.

Inspecting the courts were (l to r) Cathy Taruskin, Eduardo Huizar, Connie Wong, and Dave Peterson.

Final Inspection Was Monday

Taruskin and a crew of volunteers finished the final inspection of the courts on Monday. “We checked all the measurements. We adjusted all the nets. We hung up the paddle racks. And we were ready to open.”

Opening July 8 without a reservation system simply means that “people need to be considerate and nice to each other” and observe the 30-minute limit for court occupancy during non-open play hours.

Revenue from Reservations

Once the online reservation system opens, it will cost $8 per hour for El Cerrito residents and $10 per hour for non-residents to reserve a court.

“I expect these courts to generate more than it costs to maintain them and I think the city will profit,” Taruskin said. “These fees are lower than in Albany.”

Memorandum of Understanding

Because of the rental revenue that will come in, East Bay Pickleball Association negotiated a memorandum of understanding requiring that the city allocate a portion of the proceeds for future maintenance of the courts.

Pickleball courts are used more than tennis courts and require more frequent maintenance, she said.

The memorandum of understanding also requires that all courts will be available for open play, which is free, for 16 hours each week. Open play hours are 9 to noon Saturday and Sunday, 10 to noon Monday and Tuesday; and 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Unusual Court Dimensions

Another unusual feature of the Castro pickleball courts is that they have an eight-foot perimeter around each court, so they give players more room before they would hit the fence.

Taruskin said this design feature grew out of the surprising discovery that the two former tennis courts at Castro Park were narrower than typical tennis courts. Creating eight pickleball courts in the space would have been a very tight squeeze.

That led to the decision to create the six courts which opened today.

“These will be the best courts in the area,” Taruskin said. “Very advanced players will come from further away to play at Castro because these public courts have the luxury of individual fencing.”

A New Normal

Taruskin will be at the Castro courts during open play sessions often in the first week with other volunteers helping to introduce systems to old and new players. One thing that’s different is players will wait outside the outer fencing of the courts until there is an open court for them.

After the first few days, though, Taruskin would like to be just another player at Castro.

“I’m going to try to phase myself out of leadership there,” she said.

However, Taruskin is interested in seeing the city move forward on a “phase 2 project” at the Castro pickleball courts to provide seating and shade outside the courts, safe bike storage, and better access for the disabled.

Opening Ceremony July 16

An official grand opening for the Castro courts is planned for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 16.