By Mike Harris

Special to the Alpine Mountaineer

MacKay Park in Lake Arrowhead soon will have five pickleball courts added to the existing three on the park grounds.

County supervisors on Sept. 12 voted unanimously to spend $585,000 for the improvements.

“One of my priorities as supervisor is ensuring that our county has plentiful recreation opportunities,” 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Rowe said. “Many residents in the area have talked to me about their desire to have local pickleball courts. I’m glad to use my discretionary budget monies to support our mountain communities and I look forward to seeing this project come to fruition.”

To make room for the additional pickleball courts, the existing exercise equipment will be relocated throughout the park. County Service Area (CSA) 70 D-1 will manage the project. Rowe’s office said a timeline will be available soon.

Rowe’s office also noted that pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the country. According to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, a trade group, the number of people playing pickleball grew by 159 percent over three years to 8.9 million nationwide in 2022.

Kristy Rostawicki, a pickleball ambassador, posted on the Lake Arrowhead Community Pickleball Facebook page, “It’s official! We are getting five additional courts at MacKay! They are adding two to our existing courts and putting three more nearby.”

Rostawicki has been a proponent of adding courts to MacKay and has spoken often at the CSA 70 D-1 meetings about the need for the additional courts.