Community News
The newly constructed dedicated pickleball courts at TimberTown located on the north side of the city off Sibley Rd. will open for play on Monday June 10th after a 10am ribbon-cutting ceremony. Chelsea will now have the benefit of having one of the fastest growing sports in America right in their own backyard at the local public park. TimberTown Park has long been a place for recreation for the community with amenities such as a large wooden play structure for children, green space for old time baseball games and sand volleyball courts for adult leagues. The park now adds the fun sport of pickleball with six dedicated privately funded donated courts for the entire community and surrounding area to enjoy.
The players that formed Chelsea Pickleball are based indoors at the Chelsea Senior Center where they enjoy court time in the gym. While they appreciate a warm, dry, friendly place to play, an outdoor space has been long overdue. Last year, they finally got their chance when teaming up with Jeff Hardcastle, one of the founders and board chair for 8 years of the Huron Waterloo Pathways Initiative. The HWPI has been responsible for the beautiful Border to Border Trail System including the new pathway through TimberTown and HWPI is the primary leader in the upcoming Timbertown Reimagined project in August! When Jeff Hardcastle met up with the local USAP recreation specialist and pickleball ambassador Laura Ouellette they started a vision that became a quick reality. With the support of the city manager and city council, plus 5 Healthy Towns and Parks Commission, the local players and leaders began massive fundraising efforts that raised enough funds within 90 days to start construction last fall. As soon as winter weather was over and spring came, the project was completed and Chelsea Pickleball is thrilled to see the dream come true.
Everyone is welcome to come to the ceremony 10am on June 10th at TimberTown Park. Players are welcome to bring their paddle and balls to begin to use the new courts. The park has court rules listed at the courts, plus guidelines and daily hours for open play court time which is a huge feature at this public park. Chelsea is a great community to live and is taking the lead as one of the best cities for recreation areas.
