By FIG MULDER
Over a year ago, during a visit to the local pool, I saw an image of the master plan for Portlock Park. Having a baseball diamond on-island sounded like a great idea! I said as much in the accompanying survey.
Now, fast forward to two weeks ago: I learned in casual conversation that approving the master plan for Portlock also meant building six pickleball courts between the swimming pool and the heronry. Since then, I’ve heard that I’m not the only one who missed this important part of the consultation process.
Salt Spring’s Local Community Commission (LCC) approved the master plan on Nov. 14, right after hearing from the Salt Spring Island Pickleball Association that they have serious concerns about the new location. Rainbow Road neighbours, too, voiced worries about noise.
An appendix to the meeting’s agenda presented the concerns gathered as part of the public consultation process, and many of them were about sound generated by pickleball. Yet the Capital Regional District (CRD)’s master plan responds to these concerns only with a vague promise of “sound buffering.” The LCC did not require a clear, research-based statement about how the sound will be buffered before approving the master plan unanimously.
I’d like to understand why the LCC is confident that whatever sound buffering is put in place here will work better than what has failed in many other communities. North Saanich recently closed its courts at Wain Road after nine years of noise complaints. It’s entirely possible that the CRD plans to implement different and much more effective sound buffering than was in place at Wain Road. I’d like to believe that, but so far, I’ve seen no sign that the CRD has a thoroughly researched, evidence-based plan on how to mitigate the sound.
I still support the baseball diamond, and I understand that placing it at Portlock Park means moving the pickleball courts elsewhere. I also acknowledge the argument of LCC member Brian Webster, as quoted in the Driftwood: “There’s a point at which we either make decisions knowing that not everyone will be 100 per cent satisfied –– and not every question can be fully answered today –– or we just have an endless consultation process going on for years and years.”
However, to my mind, the pickleball association and the neighbours (both the humans living adjacent and wildlife at the heronry) are more affected than anyone else by this shift in pickleball court location, and they’ve not had their concerns addressed by anything more than a vague promise.
Both the CRD and LCC represent our tax dollars at work. How can we as a community hold them accountable to provide evidence-based solutions for local concerns, before pushing through with plans rejected by some of the very people they’re meant to benefit?