Mammoth Lakes Renovates Tennis Courts and Opens New Community Pickleball Complex
The Town is pleased to announce the reopening of Tennis Courts 5/6 with a new Sport Court suspended modular surface and the conversion of the old outdoor ice rink to a new 6-court community Pickleball Complex.
To celebrate the new courts and expansion of pickleball in Mammoth Lakes, the Town Council has scheduled a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Wednesday, October 4 at 3:00pm for the tennis courts (1000 Forest Trail) and at 3:30pm for the Pickleball Complex (416 Sierra Park Road).
The community is invited to attend and play – complimentary pickleball paddles and balls will be available for use.
Tennis courts 5/6 re-opened for play in mid-September receiving favorable reviews from our local tennis community and our Xtreme Tennis Kids Pros. The new Pickleball Complex opens for play on Friday, September 29 between the hours of 8am and dusk and are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Complimentary pickleball paddles and balls will be available for the public to use this fall at the courts.
MUSD/MCOE and Town Parks and Recreation programs will have priority use. Parks and Recreation staff will be looking to provide adult pickleball clinics and host recreational community tournaments during the summer/fall months. The complex will be closed during the winter season.
Community Tennis Courts
On September 7, 2022, Town Council allocated $175,000 to repair and reopen tennis courts 5/6 at the Community Center that were been closed for several years due to extensive surface heaving, debilitating substrate cracks and general un-safe playing conditions. After a detailed review of the many playing surfaces by staff, local tennis players, and consideration by the Parks and Recreation Commission, the new SportGame™ Sport Court Pickleball surface was selected.
Sport Court suspended modular surfaces require little or no maintenance, eliminate cracks, deliver the best shock absorption (reducing injury, fatigue and joint stress) compared to other traditional outdoor surfaces, is the official court of USTA Tennis, and has an estimated 25-30 year surface life that comes with a 15 -year warranty (100% recyclable) – a critical factor in selecting a surface for our extreme conditions and deteriorating and aging court surface.
In addition to the rehabilitation of courts 5/6, two new sets of net posts and tennis nets were installed, one additional pickleball court was striped on court #2, and in an effort to encourage multiple recreation uses, a fixed height all-weather basketball system was installed on court #1 away from the tennis/pickleball playing surface, and at Shady Rest Park.
NEW Pickleball Complex
With the new Community Recreation Center (CRC) opening later this year and offering a multitude of “ice sports” for residents and visitors at LA Kings Ice at Mammoth Lakes, the Town will no longer operate the outdoor Ice Rink at the current location. Under lease from the Mammoth Unified School District (District) and Mono County Office or Education (MCOE), the Town approached the District and MCOE with a proposal to convert the developed site to a new community recreational amenity in lieu of removing the existing infrastructure. With support from the respective boards, on March 1, 2023, the Town Council approved a new 5-year lease agreement to convert the ice rink site to a community Pickleball Complex. Funds for this project totaling $100,000 were approved by Town Council as part of the FY2022/23 Town Budget process.
Based on community feedback, numerous requests from recreation enthusiasts and endorsed by the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Town will operate and maintain 6 regulation pickleball courts (20’ x 44’) on the site. The complex will include parking, a maintained picnic area, restroom facilities, trash, and safety lighting. Installed by Northern California’s largest court builder, AllSport America Inc., the new Cushion Extreme pickleball surface was installed on the courts playing area. Two colors were selected for the playing area. The Town selected a distinctive light blue for the non-volley zone or “Kitchen” area, complemented by dark blue for the service areas, with traditional green installed on the non-playing area adjacent to the perimeter boards.
For additional information about the facilities, please contact the Parks and Recreation Department at (760) 965-3690 or via email at [email protected].
