It would appear that some common sense has prevailed in the matter of the garbage can removals reported below, at Queen Elizabeth Park. As of Thursday, May 10, three of the missing cans have been replaced by portable plastic garbage carts. With luck, perhaps Park Board will, in the fullness of time, muster the intelligence quotient to guide them to similarly replace the fourth (at location #2 below).

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Last weekend players at the tennis courts of Queen Elizabeth Park were surprised by the disappearance of the garbage cans that they have used to deposit their refuse into. Enquiries revealed that all four garbage cans that had serviced the tennis courts, basketball courts, and rollerblade hockey rinks, had been removed by order of Park Board’s Supervisor for Downtown Parks, Robert Leupen.

These were the only garbage cans handy for sport players

Readers may not have been aware that since last year, garbage collection from the Vancouver’s parks has been carried out by the City of Vancouver, Engineering Services, Solid Waste Division, not the Park Board’s own garbage collection crews. Park Board Garbage Disposal was merged with City Solid Waste Division in 2011. The ability or willingness to collect garbage from off road locations in parks seems to have disappeared with that merger. City Engineering will only pick up from roadside. No longer wishing Park Board staff to deal with the problem of getting the four metal garbage cans at the Queen E play area out to the roadway on collection day, Mr Leupen has simply ordered the garbage cans removed. Read more here.

Why do the sports players at Queen E Park need garbage receptacles near to the playing areas?

1) Because that is where the garbage is made. Sandwiches are unwrapped, food and drink containers emptied, oranges and bananas are peeled, apple cores left, grip tape replaced, paper stripped off bandages, hockey sticks (and occasionally racquets) are broken. Being garbage, folks are not eager to carry it great distances; they wish to dispose of it as soon as possible. Tennis players who play seasonally indoors sometimes complain that there are no small garbage receptacles by the benches.
2) The near proximity of the four disappeared garbage cans allow for players to sweep leaves and Cottonwood fluff off the tennis courts when necessary. Having carried armfuls or bags full of leaves and Cottonwood drop off the courts myself, I think I can say that no one would accept the challenge of carrying such refuse to the roadway. And it should not be simply left on court.
3) Players not traveling to the venue by car often have no need to go to the car park roadway when exiting the site. Locations of the four disappeared garbage cans invites garbage disposal by nearly everyone as they leave, irrespective of which direction they are going once out the gate.

The disappearance of those four garbage receptacles is a tremendous inconvenience and an insult to all who try to keep those courts and play areas clean. Some users do not care. But others do, and make an effort to keep the area in good shape for the next users. That a civic official should treat that goodwill with disdain by removing these particular garbage cans is shameful. The seventeen tennis courts and other sport areas at this location comprises on of the busiest public sport venues in Vancouver. It deserves more respect.

Wayne Morris,
editor

Anyone wishing to contact the official who ordered the removals is invited to do so:

Robert Leupen, Supervisor of Downtown Parks

phone: 604-257-8581
e-mail: robert.leupen@vancouver.ca
postal address:
c/o Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation
2099 Beach Avenue
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6G 1Z4

This location is alone among sites being considered in being a mere block away from a skytrain station – the Canada Line’s Olympic Village Station. Beyond that, near to the courts, to the west, is the terminal loop for the number 50 bus line. The Cambie and Oak Street buses have stops also very near, and the site is not far from Broadway, which is serviced by various buses. So far as access by public transit goes, these parkade roof courts are unequaled. There are also bicycle routes all around the area, and pay parking lots on either side of the building.

Section of Translink route map - look at all them public transit lines!

There are five tennis courts, three storeys up, on the parkade roof. At the moment, they are not in use, having been stripped to effect “leaky condo” type repairs and replace the waterproof roof membrane. These courts have variable runback (distance from baseline to wall or fence) - 21 feet or more on the north side, less on the south side. If covered they might still give a runback of at least 18 feet, considered the minimum for non tournament play, and surely a necessity for courts that will be rented to the broad public.

photo from 2010

Unlike the other sites being considered for an indoor tennis pilot project, this one has no water, bathrooms, or change rooms, available anywhere near at all. Users of these courts must presently hike down to Stamp’s Landing to find water and bathrooms. But the building is owned by the City of Vancouver, and were the courts to be covered, presumable space in the building could be found to provide basic amenities. For this reason, and because I have played on these courts many times, and lost many a tennis ball to the fearsome briar patch (blackberries) below the south side, I will suggest that these courts especially merit being given a covering that is permanent, rather than seasonal.

While the site is in a residential area, with apartments immediately to the north, the courts are not visible from there.

There are apartments across 6th Avenue to the south, from which the rooftop courts can be seen. However, from that view, the traffic of 6th Avenue, the streetcar tracks and train shed, and a great billboard, attract more attention than anything.

view east from 6th Ave

view north across 6th Ave

Hard to imagine anyone complaining at the appearance of a bubble, frame and fabric covering, or any permanent structure atop those tennis courts.

foot of Ash St

VanPubTennis would love to see public indoor tennis here. Its fairly central location in the city, and closeness to oodles of public transit, seem irresistible. Having five courts under cover, at what would only be nominal additional cost to covering four, would be surely be a great economic advantage for the business side of a public tennis facility. And five courts would allow more flexibility for programming than would fewer. On the down side, provision of basic amenities, and presumably a means of wheelchair access, could add significantly to the initial cost of construction. But overall, so far as covering existing outdoor courts goes, this site is a real winner.

Google aerial view

Aside from the charm of its location, the fact that this site is considered as one where existing courts could be covered is somewhat surprising to this observer.

looking east

The venue is surrounded by trees, and a bubble on them would hardly be noticed by near neighbours. However the four courts here are on the small side, with runback of 15 ft and a few inches, and they have a marked slope downward from east to west. They are bordered on the north by a row of lovely big cedars, whose trunks are only four feet from the fence, and whose branches push against it and hang over it.

looking west

Were these courts to be covered, it seems they would need to be moved south to allow room for a structure to be placed over them, and enlarged to make for a rentable court size having at least 18 ft of runback. Perhaps that could be accomplished by simply putting a strip of asphalt into what is now sidewalk area on the south side. The noticeable downward slope east to west may be irrelevant to paying indoor customers, unless a smoother painted court surface would set balls on the ground to rolling across courts. As pebbled surface outdoor courts, that slope ensures good drainage, and probably goes along way to explain why the surface remains in pretty good shape, except for some pebble loss, year after year.

looking east

There is a two storey field house at Memorial South, with bathrooms and change rooms for the softball, baseball, box lacrosse, soccer and track and field athletes who use park facilities. Presumably this building could accommodate a tennis facility office. It is around 90 metres east of the tennis court area. There are also washrooms in the baseball bleachers, around 70 metres from the courts.

This site perhaps seems a more challenging candidate than others, because of the problems of court size and slope, near trees, and distance from washrooms and change rooms.

On the matter of basic amenities, I list below the distance tennis players must walk through the rain to reach a water source, washrooms, change rooms at a few of the public or quasi public venues near to Vancouver:

Burnaby Tennis Club bubble to clubhouse -  50 metres*
Richmond Tennis Club bubble to clubhouse – 0 metres, there is a canopy above the 8 metres between bubble and clubhouse.
Steveston Community Centre Net Shed to main building – 25 metres 
UBC Tennis Centre frame and fabric to Osborne Centre – 33 metres 

 *An informant who plays in the Burnaby TC bubble tells me that that there are areas near it where plant life can no longer grow, because of the urine. This report may be tinged by hyperbole, but it is entirely consistent with my knowledge of the male side of tennis. Where it is necessary to have players go outdoors to reach washrooms, it is better to have them handy, than not.

Public indoor tennis at the Killarney location at 49th Avenue and Kerr would work very well for many Vancouverites. It is already a destination for recreation seekers who wish to swim, skate, or use the community centre fitness area and gym. There is much parking space around the complex. The number 49 and 26 buses service the location via 49th Ave and Kerr St respectively. And it’s not a bad destination to cycle to from anywhere near the long (41st Ave) ridge running east-west.

Click on images to enlarge

There are four tennis courts on the school grounds, between the community ice rink and the school. Unfortunately, of the sites under consideration, the courts here are the tiniest, with a runback of only 14 ft. That is to say there is only 14 feet from the back of the baseline to the fence. A runback of 21 ft is generally considered minimum for tournament play, 18 ft for recreational play involving players beyond a beginner’s level of skill. It should be the minimum for a facility where the broad public are charged money to play. Looking at the aerial view of these courts, it appears there is room to add an edge of asphalt on the north side sufficient to make runback of at least 18 ft. If the extra needed could only be got by crossing over the property line between VSB and VPB, might that throw a spanner into the bureaucratic works? Hmmmmn. Lets hope not.

The trick to making a pilot project work here is cooperation between the city’s two monster bureaucracies, the Vancouver School Board and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. Were it just you, dear reader, as the Vancouver School Board, and I, as the Vancouver Park Board, we could arrange this over coffee. “Yes, your students will get designated time on court, in return for your kind loan of the courts to be covered and rented out by our community centre. Bless us all!” But you and I do not have oodles of departments, committees, and collective bargaining agreements demanding compliance of every new wrinkle in the status quo. 

In this case, the configuration of the nearby buildings is not ideal. The nearest building to the courts is the high school. During the stormy days of winter, access to school water fountains and washrooms would be best for tennis players, giving them the least distance to walk through the rain. But the school may not wish to allow access during the evening and on weekends. The next nearest building is the skating rink. Well, perhaps there is a near door that tennis players could use to access washrooms and change rooms in that building. Were it necessary to walk around outside the rink to the community centre for change rooms and washrooms, it would mean a walk through the rain of over a hundred metres. Hopefully, the two great bureaucracies could work things out so that such a trek was not necessary.

Certainly, to this observer, it seems a very attractive proposition to have a pool and community centre next door to a tennis facility. Vanpub likes this site. 

Give us your opinions…leave a comment.

Paint still drying, nets to be remounted.

Meanwhile, at 600 Moberly, the five parkade rooftop courts still have a way to go.

Bare concrete, patched, awaits a surface coat, paint.

Click on photo to enlarge.

This park, down in the southeast corner of the city above SE Marine,  is another site that has been talked about as a possible location for a public indoor tennis pilot project. See the map and aerial view below. Click on them to enlarge.

The park here is fairly large, and forested. The woods help to make the area quite lovely. There are several features of this locale that draw Park Board attention. As with New Brighton Park, there are no residential neighbours near the four tennis courts, only forest and trails, with the community centre across the street. Hence it may be possible to erect a bubble, a frame and fabric structure, or even a tilt-up metal-roofed building over the courts without upsetting anyone.

 A facility here could be managed as adjunct to the Champlain Heights Community Centre’s operations, and allow players to take advantage of amenities in the centre. Click on photos to enlarge.

There is access by public transportation, especially useful for tennis programming for young folk, and attracting players like this writer, who do not drive everywhere. The number 26 Translink bus, that connects with main thoroughfares at 41st Ave, 49th Ave, Kingsway, and the Joyce Skytrain station, comes down Maquinna Drive, with a stop at the community center for both directions. Click on photo to enlarge.

Adult players might occasionally appreciate that there is a pub/restaurant around the corner of Maquinna and Champlain Crescent, maybe 90 meters from the tennis courts.

Downside? It is perhaps distant for many city residents, though, like New Brighton Park, indoor tennis courts here would likely attract some players who commute to and from Vancouver.

editor’s note: If the first public indoor courts were to go here, we would hope to eventually see more covered courts at other locations. 

. Map and aerial view below thanks to Google. Click on each to enlarge.

New Brighton Park, down beyond the railway tracks below Hastings Park  is unusual among Vancouver’s Parks in being very obviously nestled in an industrial milieu. See below, click on image to enlarge.
 

Park Board may not be obliged to meet their usual, very costly, architectural standard of prettiness with any structure placed in this park. There are no residential neighbours, and an inexpensive building with a standing seam metal roof, of the type commonly used to cover tennis courts, will look right at home here.

Note the sign above the gate admonishing dog owners to pick up poop. Oh Park Board.....do you REALLY think dog poop can be picked off asphalt tennis courts??????

A pilot project consisting of a permanent, standalone structure placed atop the existing courts (given a colour coating first, of course) may well be possible in New Brighton Park. Not only that, there looks to be room for six, or more (eventually, if not first affordable), if dog lovers were willing to cede a little of the dog run. Image from Park Board web site.

editors note: If an indoor tennis facility were to be built here, it is tantalising to dream of eventually a covered pool, with fitness area, to complement the tennis venue. The facility could become a year round fitness centre – tennis, exercise room, sauna, whirlpool, pool. I’m becoming healthier just thinking about it. Vanpubtennis likes this one.

Downside? No public transportation access.