Members of the Marinette – Menominee Area Pickleball Incorporated addressed the Parks and Recreation Committee at this week’s monthly meeting with a proposal to fix the outdoor tennis and pickleball courts. Officer Brian Swenson says, “the problem is, we have a beautiful indoor pickleball facility that is the envy of the State of Wisconsin and the U.P of Michigan throughout the winter months. The problem is in the summertime. We don’t have any outdoor courts in the summer.”

Swenson says, “we took it upon ourselves to see if we could possibly fundraise the upgrades necessary to the outside tennis courts, and add pickleball courts over at the civic center to the community and not require city funds.”

The Pickleball Group provided two renderings for the committee to review along with their proposal. In option one it would have two dedicated tennis courts and four dedicated pickleball courts; while, option two would offer four tennis courts with eight pickleball courts. This option is a compromised solution based on input from Marinette High School Athletic Director Dean Furton who would have concerns losing two tennis courts. The price tag for both options is around $65,000. The Parks and Recreation Committee will be reviewing the documentation provided and will have a recommendation at July’s meeting.