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CONVERSION: A tennis court converted into four Pickleball courts. The surface of the tennis court in this case is 120 ft. x 60 ft. Pickleball courts are 44 ft. x 20 ft. with much different stripes compared to a tennis court.The stripes can cause confusion but most people only complain if the stripes are tape which can cause funny bounces.
February 23, 2024
By Brian Hews
During its regular meeting in April 2023, the Cerritos City Council directed staff to study converting two tennis courts at Liberty Park into dual-use courts for tennis and Pickleball and initiate a discussion to develop Pickleball courts at Gahr High School.
The city council considered the Pickleball study at it Feb 22, 2024 meeting.
The Liberty Park discussion is ongoing while the ABCUSD told the city that the Gahr High Pickleball courts on the northeast corner of Artesia Boulevard and Studebaker Road were already being considered for a different use.
Currently, there are over 230 Pickleball courts near Cerritos: some of them include Bellflower’s Thompson Park, which has four; Cypress Park with six; Cypress College with ten; Downey’s Independence Park with four; La Mirada Regional Park with four; the La Mirada Community Gym with two; Lakewood’s Bolivar and Mayfair Parks with four each; the Norwalk Arts & Sports Complex with three.
In Cerritos, there are a total of thirteen dedicated Pickleball courts. Ten courts are located at Don Knabe Regional Park, while three Pickleball courts are located inside the grass area of the walking track. The courts do not have gates surrounding them; therefore, they are free- of charge and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
In its study, City Staff looked at possible dual-use tennis/Pickleball courts at Liberty Park, which has six tennis courts available to Cerritos residents at no charge.
Four Pickleball courts can be put on one tennis court, but the court surface needs to be at least 120 feet long by 60 feet wide and needs to be restriped.
Some say the restriping for Pickleball can cause “line confusion,” but only among hard-core tennis players who mainly complain about stripes that are tape, which can cause strange bounces, not painted-on stripes. According to the city, it costs $3,000 to restripe a court.
Temporary nets are used for the Pickleball courts.
In its study, the city found the amount of play at Liberty by tennis enthusiasts was most popular between 10 a.m. to noon and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The courts are sparsely utilized in the afternoon from noon to 5 p.m. very similar to the use of the dedicated Pickleball courts.
Staff also identified an area at Liberty Park for council consideration that was a picnic shelter removed in 2012; two dedicated Pickleball courts could be built on the site at an estimated cost of $80,000; the existing tennis courts would remain intact.
If the courts are approved, the city would save $20,000 because the city council has already approved $100,000 for the restoration of the former picnic area.
At its January 2024 meeting, the city council directed staff to look at parks in the east of the city for Pickleball courts.
Potential locations included Brookhaven Park, Cerritos Park East, El Rancho Verde Park, Friendship Park, Frontier Park, Gonsalves Park, Heritage Park, Loma Park, Pat Nixon Park, Saddleback Park, Satellite Park, and Sunshine Park.
The city considered several factors, including parking, lighting, availability of restrooms, noise, and proximity to homes. After evaluating all parks, tstaff is recommending that Frontier Park would be suitable to accommodate new, dedicated Pickleball courts.
But the park is in a residential area, and the new courts could result in more noise from rowdy Pickleballers. The city council met last night on this issue after press time for LCCN; the decision will be published online by Monday at loscerritosnews.net.
