What We Are Up To

January 2025 - April 2025

• Court design by vendor and approved by Conservation Commission to include 7 lighted courts at Symond's Way.

• Cost estimate provided by town staff to Select Board and Finance Committee.

• Select Board voted in favor, 5-0; Finance Committee voted in favor, 9-0

• Next step: Town Meeting authorization of funding

• RPPA raised $200,000, which will be donated to the town

November 2024 - December 2024

• Court design by vendor for eight courts in total with four courts lighted at Symond's Way (managed by the town)

• When court designs are completed, costs will be presented to Town Meeting (managed by the town)

• Continued fundraising.  The approval of land opens up the door for grant applications to assist with costs

January  2024 - October 2024

• Advocating with the town -  land at Symond's Way was allocated for pickleball by Select Board in November along with a re-allocation of ARPA funds for court design

• Working with Community Services Director on a design she proposed on Symond's Way

• Sent letter to Select Board with cc: to others to say thank you and provide a fundraising update

• Symond's Way Exploratory Committee includes pickleball in recommendations to Select Board

• Town Manager Matt Kraunelis, Select Board members Carlo Bacci, Mark Dockser, Chris Haley and former Select Board chair Jackie McCarthy attend RPPA's Community Day Fundraiser

• Planned and ran Second Annual Community Day Fundraiser. Open play sold out in a few days! Clinics sold out within a few weeks.

• Continuing to work toward the mission, advocated with Recreation Department, Recreation Committee to keep courts open/open sooner in spring

• Continued fundraising

December 2023 - January 2024

• Community outreach - Voted Most Creative at the Reading Educational Foundation's 2023 Festival of Trees

• Continuing to work toward the mission, advocated with Recreation Department, Recreation Committee to keep courts open

• Continued fundraising

November 2023

• Attended Town Meeting to withdraw citizen's petition.  Prior to this, attended SWEC to discuss the withdrawal

• Presented to Recreation Committee - revisions out of SWEC, Select Board, Finance - we are flexible to adjust based on RFIs

• Community outreach & fundraising

October 2023

• Presentation to Symond's Way Exploratory Committee (SWEC) - revisions based on feedback from SWEC and other conversations with boards and committees since initial presentation to SWEC - we are flexible to adjust based on RFIs that come back

• Memorial Park was named #6 in the US and Canada for pickleball sessions booked on Playtime Scheduler

• Working to finalize date to present to Recreation Committee

• Community outreach - RPPA asked by RMHS to provide paddles & nets for 160 students at RMHS-run spring Unity Day at RMHS

• Refined presentation to Symonds Way Exploratory Committee and Recreation Committee based on inputs over the past few months 

• Continued fundraising

September 2023

• Asked to be included on an upcoming agenda for Recreation Committee

• Asked to be included on an upcoming agenda for Symond's Way Exploratory Committee (SWEC)

• Fidel let RPPA know he would connect with Ryan (engineering), Andrew (planning), and Chuck (conservation) - Sep 22

• Presentation at Financial Forum on Sept 20 - Presented revised proposal. Minor updates (certified Citizen's Petition, $16,000 contribution RPPA will fundraise for) Additional advocacy steps RPPA will take based on Financial Forum (present revised,  temporary proposal to SWEC

• Citizen's Petition submitted, certified and included as an article in the warrant for the 2023 November Town Meeting. Done at suggestion of Select Board Chair. Pickleball courts were in capital plan for Birch Meadow Phase 2, were removed from conceptual plan drawings Birch Meadow Phase 2 this spring/summer.

• Refined presentation to Financial Forum based on inputs from Select Board 

• Asked to be included on an upcoming agenda for Finance Committee

• Presentation to Select Board on Sept 12 - Presented same revised proposal discussed verbally with Rec Committee.  Advocacy steps RPPA will take based Select Board meeting (Citizen's Petition, get on Rec Committee agenda, present to CPDC, Finance) 

• Recreation Committee meeting discussion on Sept 11 during SWEC update part of the meeting, not a formal presentation as we weren't able to get on the September agenda. Discussed revised proposal (RPPA had revised from permanent to temporary after feedback from SWEC.  RPPA was advised to meet with the Select Board as a next step.

• Community outreach at Reading Fall Street Faire on Sept 10

• Continued fundraising

August 2023

• Refined presentation to Select Board based on inputs from Symond's Way Exploratory Committee (SWEC)

• Continued fundraising & community outreach

July 2023

• Presented the need for courts as well as preferred location to Symonds Way Exploratory Committee (SWEC) - RPPA was advised by the town to first present to SWEC. SWEC recommended RPPA modify proposal from permanent to temporary courts. Next step recommended by SWEC - present to Select Board (Select Board has to approve RPPA's proposed location).

May/June/July 2023

• Assessed potential locations for dedicated courts & drafted a design proposal

• Discussed the high demand for courts

• Additional fundraising & community outreach - RPPA met with the town about the demand vs. supply of courts, to understand pickleball-related challenges, and to talk about potential locations RPPA learned there's a committee exploring potential uses of the land at Symonds Way, and it was recommended as a next step that the RPPA present to them.

May/June 2023

• Kicked off community outreach

March 2023

• Kicked off fundraising

February 2023

• Organized board, drafted mission statement, planned for how to achieve goal 

January 2023

• Established RPPA as a 501c(3) non-profit with a goal of raising funds for the construction of dedicated, lighted courts in Reading