money Pickleball: Is Palm Springs taking a pause on plans for a $310,000 wall at Demuth Park?
Palm Springs looks to be pushing the pause button on plans to build a wall between the Demuth Park pickleball courts and the neighboring adjacent wastewater treatment facility after local players raised questions about the wisdom of the project.
Last year, the city paid about $82,000 to design the structure, which is described as a 10-foot-tall, 235-foot-long block wall on the south side of the facility that would replace the existing chain link fence. A second contract, for the actual construction, was approved by the city council in January at an expense of about $231,000.
The aim of building the wall, city staff said in a report, was to “help reduce [waste water treatment plant] odors and noise which will reduce disruption and enhance the park patron’s experience.”
Signs posted at the courts on Thursday indicated that construction was slated to start in April. Construction would require the closure of the six courts on the south side of the facility, potentially adding to already-long wait times at the oversubscribed courts.
Although the city has sunk $82,000 into the project design, pickleball players have expressed concern that the wall would be a hazard, as players lunging for balls might slam into the structure and become injured. Others have said the wall would do nothing to reduce odors from the nearby plant.
Three players called into the Palm Springs City Council meeting on Thursday to urge the city to reconsider the wall. Afterward, Assistant City Manager Teresa Gallavan said the city was launching a survey of the “pickleball community” about the wall and other issues such as the rotation system that has caused consternation among players. She did not say how that survey was being distributed.
“Pending the results of that discussion, we may bring that item for you for further consideration,” City Manager Justin Clifton told the council. “Especially if we decide to not pursue the wall any longer, we would need to address that contract.”
On the courts Thursday, a number of players voiced concerns about the planned wall.
“I think it’s really a dangerous thing,” said Sarvani Edson, a pickleball player who winters in the desert from Fairfield, Iowa. “I’ve seen people bounce against the fence while going for a ball. If that’s a solid wall, they could really get hurt.”
Allen Stecker, who recently took up the sport and said he has been coming to Demuth twice daily to play, questioned the effectiveness of the wall.
“A 10-foot wall will not stop the smell. It’s going to climb over it,” he said. “They should put in a windscreen [on the chain link fence]. We can get by with the smell, but if our friends hit their heads on the wall, it will be bad.”
James Coffman, another player from Palm Springs, expressed concern that the construction project would make it nearly impossible to get time to play.
“People are already waiting a long time to play,” he said. If the city takes courts out of service for construction, “if they don’t have someone out here to manage it, it could get ugly," Coffman said.
Neil Korpinen, another player, said at the least the wall would need to be padded to prevent injuries. However, he said money used to build the wall would be better spent on building new pickleball courts.
The City of Hermosa Beach was sued in 2020 by a pickleball player who alleged the city put concrete walls too close to the court and failed to install protective padding.
Coach Mary’s Tip of the Week: How to practice on your own.
What drills and skills I can do on my own to improve without a coach, lesson or partner? If you are on your own, locked down, or just cannot get to the courts, here are some ideas:
Ball handling: With your paddle in front of you, about belly button high, do paddle pops or ball handling by just bouncing the ball off your paddle. Thumbs up, knuckles up, alternating, big bounce little bounce, hit and catch. This is great to strengthen your forearm muscles.
Shadow drill: go to the fence, face it like you are competing against someone in front of you. Get your paddle behind your ball, and shadow it to dink and get ready for the smash. This helps to get your paddle out in front!
Wall drill: At home in the garage, against the garage wall, Paddle in front, volley to the wall. Be sure to always reset your arms and paddle to the front – to discomfort!
Ping Pong: Playing ping pong can really help your pickleball. If you are alone, try setting up the table with one side vertical and one horizontal. Volley and short hop with a ping pong paddle and ball, or a mini pickle paddle, or even a regular paddle and pickleball.
Dink to a wall, and volley to a wall. This could be your garage door, an interior door, a wall at a park (Rancho Mirage Community Park has some great backboards to do wall drills.)
Here are some videos to watch:
Primetime Pickleballl on how to train on a wall bit.ly/PBwall1
Primetime Pickleballl on how to train by yourself bit.ly/PBpracticealone
Hand-eye coordination drills for pickleball bit.ly/HandEyePickleball
Here are some more ideas...
Drop and hits: This is a really important way to drill. Toss the ball up in front of you, move your feet to get in position to hit a forehand or a backhand. You should engage your hips and shoulders, and follow through. Follow-through out, out, out, then up. Engage your non-paddle arm to extend your follow-through.
Ball machine: If you have access to a ball machine, I will cover drills with a machine in a later column.
Video: Try to watch different instructional videos from a variety of sources to get more than one point of view.
Schedule a group, private or semi-private lesson with a certified PPR or IPTPA coach.
Don’t forget to cross-train and give your pickleball muscles a break. Paddle Up!
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Pickleball: Is Palm Springs pausing plans for Demuth Park wall?
