Peachland Pickleball Courts Close for Three Months, Two New Courts Coming

Every game at Lambly Park is on hold until June 19. Contractor Superior Excavating broke ground on April 7, closing both of Peachland's outdoor pickleball courts for 73 days while two additional courts are built alongside them, part of a $200,000 capital project funded through a provincial Growing Communities Fund grant.

The construction zone covers the pickleball area accessed from 14th Street, directly across from Peachland Village Mall and adjacent to Highway 97. Superior Excavating is installing fencing and wayfinding signage through the affected section of the park. The multi-use pathway and the tennis courts at Lambly Park stay open throughout.

Players who need a court have two straightforward options along the same highway corridor. North toward West Kelowna, Mt. Boucherie Pickleball Courts runs 12 outdoor asphalt and acrylic courts through the West Kelowna Pickleball Club, with a one-time membership fee required to play. South toward Summerland, Peach Orchard at 6321 Peach Orchard Road offers three free outdoor concrete courts with permanent lines and nets. Session availability across the broader Kelowna-Peachland-Summerland corridor is organized through PlayTime Scheduler, a free coordination tool built specifically for pickleball.

The closure is the end product of a planning process that started in 2023, when the District of Peachland originally targeted four new courts. The District set aside $200,000 from the Growing Communities Fund and expected the Peachland Pickleball Society to provide matching funds. When the Society couldn't secure its own grant, consulting firm Urban Systems priced four courts at approximately $315,000 plus a 30% contingency, far beyond the ceiling. CAO Joe Creron said plainly at the time: "We're going to build what we can for up to $200,000. We might put out an RFP and they might only be able to build two." That's exactly what the RFP confirmed.

Neighbourhood feedback narrowed the scope further. Mayor Patrick Van Minsel acknowledged the two-court decision also reflected "remarks we got back from the neighbourhood." Councillor Keith Thom voted against issuing the RFP altogether. Councillor Randey Brophy, who serves as president of the Peachland Pickleball Society, recused himself from all project votes due to conflict of interest, though he separately pushed back on a 2024 Citizens Survey that ranked pickleball 26th of 43 local services in satisfaction: "Nobody in their right mind is going to rank pickleball or any other sport ahead of basic services."

The national numbers explain why the District pushed through the political friction. Pickleball Canada's January 2025 survey found 1.54 million Canadians now play monthly, up from roughly 350,000 in 2020, and 15% of Canadians cite a lack of facilities as a direct barrier to participation. Peachland's expansion is a local answer to a national problem.

The payoff on June 19 is concrete: Lambly Park goes from two courts to four, doubling available playing surface. At four players per court with 15-minute game rotations, four courts can run 16 games per hour against the current eight, adding eight additional game slots every hour the facility is open. The Peachland Pickleball Society is funding soundproofing on the new courts to address noise concerns from adjacent property owners, and that community investment helped shape a project neighbours could live with. One material change awaits regular players when the gates reopen: Mayor Van Minsel has signalled that user fees will apply to the new courts, a departure from the free access the existing two courts have always offered. District of Peachland communications will carry updates on the construction timeline through the June 19 reopening.