A few of us have tried to get their attention with absolutely no success, so I am going to assume they are trying not to offend the members of the Recreation Commission and that is more important than you and maybe even your vote next year. Why the relationship is so cozy is beyond me. Why the commission means more to them than the tennis players is also beyond me.
They Mayor seemed enthusiastic about the TIF agreements with local school districts, but not about our parks and the tennis courts you enjoy. Not one of them seems to be able to generate any enthusiasm, they act like we are asking them to donate a pint of blood.
30 comments:
ATTENTION 28th Street Park Tennis Players:
Very soon your tennis court WILL BE eliminated and turned into 4 pickle ball courts. The Peru Recreation Commission says tennis is a dying sport and has chosen to eliminate your court, set up pickle ball courts, and hold clinics. Your tax dollar purchased the necessary equipment for this sport (5 nets, 20 paddles, and dozens of balls) and we were lead to believe we would have access to them at any time. Now, we are being told that this is not true and that we will only have access to this equipment during the ambassador's clinics. If you wish to play on your own time you need to buy your own paddles and balls and you will only have use of the courts when clinics are not being held. Even though Washington Park has 4 tennis courts and it has been stated that Sunset Park's tennis court is seldom used - the commission decided to eliminate yours. Just thought you'd be interested in reading about this before you come to play tennis and your court is gone.
I love that tennis court. Too bad I live in LaSalle :(
There has been a tremendous amount written into the blog about the tennis court in the 28th street park being transferred to a pickle ball court. Most which has been written has been in favor of leaving it a tennis court with only a couple of comments in favor of pickle ball.The city mayor and council have been active in this decision and included in discussions from both sides - those in favor and those not.
The 28th street park as all city parks are owned by the city and financially fully supported by its taxpayers as is the $3,000 worth of pickle ball equipment which has been used by a few to only disappear when this few are not using it.
A instructor has been chosen, although no advertisement was published in the paper to see if anyone else was interested in teaching pickle ball. Also is this instructor volunteering his/her time or does he/she expect to be payed?
If not payed by the city does he/she expect to be paid by the individuals he/she is instructing? Has he/she been interviewed by the city's Human Resource Manager and what kind of background check has been utilized? What age groups are to be given lessons?
How do the tennis players who utilize this court feel about it being turned into a pickle ball court and very importantly what is the feeling of the neighborhood?
In conclusion what has been Mayor Harls response to this occurrence and to suggestions of updating and revising the Peru Park Commission?
12:13 As far as I know the mayor has not said a word concerning 28th St.Park. I wish he would at least have an opinion one way or another. But then it is easier to just sit there.
Mayor Harls response to this situation has been that it is totally up to the recreation commission to make this decision and that the council has no authority to override their decision. Yet, he was responsible for closing the swimming pool which should have been a rec decision. (At a full council meeting he has voiced no opinion).
I think everyone is missing an important issue concerning tennis vs pickle..both can be played on the same court. Just line it for both and secure the nets to the fence, make the other end of the pickle ball net so it can be moved with the stand off to the side when there are tennis players. Over, end of story!
2:55 That simple solution was already expressed to the council, the alderman, and anybody else who was involved and nobody listened.
NOTHING, AND I MEAN NOTHING WILL GET DONE UNLESS NEW ALDERMEN ARE VOTED IN. EVEN MAYOR HARL'S HANDPICKED SELECTION REMAIN QUIET ON THIS WHOLE SUBJECT. JUST REMEMBER THIS WHEN THE BALLOTS GET SENT OUT.
This is a shame. The company is here today to begin resurfacing the courts and eventually change the tennis court to pickle ball. And, while they are working on the basketball surface 2 more tennis players have arrived. That's 6 more so far today.
4:11 Mayor Baker would never have allowed this to happen.
Baker was the administration that set up power to the rec committee. Don't shite yourself.
I still do not believe Mayor Baker would have let the rec commission have the final say. You can say what you want about him, but I guarantee that he would have listened to what the residents wanted.
Took a drive to MC Sporting Goods today to see if they had pickle ball equipment. For the fastest growing sport that is sweeping the nation, the clerk had a hard time finding the paddles. They are in the very last aisle of the store and it will cost you 24.99 plus 7.5% sales tax.
1D:17 I thought the ambassador purchased a large supply of paddles and balls with our tax dollars. Don't we get to use them? And didn't I read somewhere that he bought 5 nets but my understanding is the citizens of Peru will only have access to 4? Who gets to keep and use the 5th net? Does anyone know who has possession of the equipment? Is it stored somewhere that the city has access to it or does the ambassador still have it in his possession?
I have been recently informed that indeed the only time we will get to use the equipment that our tax dollars bought is when the ambassador holds his clinics. I know for a fact this was not the original intention. I personally believe that, because of the lack of a solution as to how to make it available to the public, they decided we could only use it when the clinics are being held. Now, if the clinics are not being held at a convenient time for you, you can purchase your own paddle and balls for the cost listed above.
Linda, being a mother of sons who participated in athletics you fully realize that there is always going to be the immature child who upon not getting his way or in losing has a temper tantrum and takes his ball home.
Yes, the pickle ball fiasco appears to be a completely opposite situation since the immature child was the sole owner of the ball and 10,000 citizens are the owners of the pickle ball equipment. Government representation is to work for the best of all when purchasing public property and/or anything else. Individuals normally use their own finances to purchase private property to own their own equipment for the sole purpose they desire. Possibly the confusion with pickle ball in Peru is that the government appears to have bought equipment for a individual who is utilizing the equipment for his own private use not the taxpayers.
The above situation could be easily
corrected and should be as it has been allowed to go on for way too long. Another reason for this problem may be that all parties you are dealing with are too immature to properly deal with this situation, and sadly I am including elected official of the city. With elections being less than a year away what advancement has Peru made with term limitations?
MAYOR, ALDERMEN: It's a new day (June 6th) and there has already been 3 young men playing tennis and getting exercise for the last 2 hours. Look into Sunset Park for your pickle ball court. Ask your alderman from that area how often that court is being used for tennis. Ask Justin the same question. They have already stated that it is seldom used. 28th street park is not the most feasible solution for this experiment of introducing pickle ball to our community and you know it. It's a convenience issue for an individual.
Introduce pickle ball to the community. I'm all for it but, don't do it at the expense of those residents in the 28th street park area that enjoy playing tennis.
ANON 11:02 Ordinance: Peru 1 on U May 2009. ,to be referred to simply as PonU .
"From this date on nothing will be mentioned in the City of Peru that is not advantageous to the present Chief Executive Officer (MAYOR) for example :term limitations, four (4) year elections and referendums(tie breaker votes are much more authoritative), transparency and open meetings, recognition to input from the general public, common sense approach to all aspects of committees, proper procedures in publication of future city meetings, no issues or confrontations in the year before election because a NO may lose a VOTE.
In fairly recent times a particular alderman was made unfair fun of and referred to as hand shaken old back slappin J_ _ _. Today it appears that Peru has the real deal at one stage higher.
Referring to a meeting held this week without proper web site notification and the responsible individual who pushed it forward.
There is a lot more truth to the simple old saying "What goes around comes around" than most realized.
I just hope the ambassador purchased the pickle ball equipment in Peru.
7:10 PM
I rather doubt that he did.
Well he better have, because that is where he told everyone to go buy the paddles.
Sorry 9:06 but we wrote our check for the pickle ball equipment to Pickleballpaddlesplus.com. I don't think that's a local business.
Since 9:00 this morning (June 7th) there has been a tennis instructor and her student getting tennis lessons (28 th street park).
Bryan Hartman: I read your comment on "positiveinperu" the pickle ball website and I'm shocked that the president of the rec commission would make such a statement. (The statement where you told Jim that you can't wait to witness pickleball players playing on their own at 28th street park.) It's too bad you didn't come and watch all the tennis players playing on their own through the years. Then, you could tell them personally that you're closing their court. It's a shame that adults cannot reach an intelligent compromise that would benefit all. You do realize and know that both sports could be active in this park without a great deal of effort!
It is a sad day in Peru if what I hear is happening is true(the mayor and council cannot over rule the decision by a committee). If that is the case then, just turn the entire city over to committee. Sad and embarrassing.
It is now 2:00pm and the tennis court has been occupied since 9:ooam, CONTINUOUSLY. Please mayor and city council, the people that use this tennis court are making it perfectly clear, that they want it to remain tennis. Jill Bernal
Jill do you ever see anyone playing pickle ball on that tennis court? And if you don't then it appears that if people wanted a pickle ball court they should be making the same attempt as the tennis players.
This is not Jill but I can answer for her and there is absolutely no one playing pickle ball on this court except occasionally the Grabowskis.
Holding clinics is the best way to introduce the game of pickleball to new players. In my city, the pickleball group (about 45 members) plays 6 days per week. We reserve Wednesday nights for beginners. My city is converting two tennis courts into six pickleball courts. We have 58 tennis courts and there are 20 tennis courts within 2 miles of where we are converting. Many of our courts are in very poor shape. The park district doesn't repair them, they say, because many of them are rarely used. It's too bad, if those tennis courts in Peru were used often, they chose those to convert. But pickleball will be a very popular sport in Peru over the next few years. For those of us who don't find tennis as much fun anymore (due to health reasons), pickleball is a fantastic alternative.
It may become a popular sport but the problems will continue at this location unnecessarily because it should have been at another location. Right now it has become an "in your face" and the neighbors and the pickleball people are hardly talking.
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