Penny Rd. Sidewalk Plan

 

Although this is not a Lochmere project, we thought the Lochmere community would be interested in the good news.

CAMPO (Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization) has recently approved funds for DOT and Town of Cary to construct a sidewalk from the intersection of Penny Road and Loch Highlands Drive to connect with an existing sidewalk that runs down to Kildaire Farm Road. 

We understand the funds will be available sometime in 2023. 

Any questions should be directed to CAMPO (and not Lochmere), by visiting HERE

pickleball

Lochmere will be offering monthly Pickleball Clinics during February, March, and April.

Beginner I is for  new players only or those that need to repeat the class.

Beginner II will progress each week to help with shots and playing of points for those who have played some.

For more information and to register, please visit HERE.

If you have any questions, please contact Pam Gilbert at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

pickleball

 

With the increased popularity of pickleball, many Lochmere residents have requested pickleball courts in our community. In response, the Board had the two tennis courts at Highlands painted with pickleball dimensions in 2014 while retaining the ability to play tennis. As demand increased, pickleball players requested courts dedicated to pickleball only.

Unfortunately, there is no suitable location to build new courts nor is there money in the budget for that level of construction. To provide dedicated pickleball courts we would need to repurpose existing tennis courts at either Highlands or Lochwood. By converting two tennis courts we could create 6 dedicated pickleball courts.

Two surveys were sent to the membership in 2020 and 2021 to determine which location would best serve Lochmere.The results of the surveys are included below.

November 2020 Survey

Do You Play Pickleball?

Response Count
No 166
Yes 191
Grand Total 357

How Often Do You Play Pickleball?

Response Count
I Haven’t Played At Lochmere 43
Less Than 2 Times A Week 48
More Than 2 Times A Week 100
Grand Total 191

Are The Marked Pickleball Lines At Highlands Tennis Courts Enough For Your Needs?

Response Count
No 158
Yes 199
Grand Total 357

Would You Be Open To The Possibility Of Converting The Highlands Tennis Courts To Just Pickleball?

Response Count
No 154
Yes 203
Grand Total 357

January 2021 Pickleball Survey

Summary of Responses    
Number of Completed SurveyResponses   217
 
What do you play atLochmere  
Tennis 88 40.6%
Pickleball 39 18.0%
Both 50 23.0%
Neither 40 18.4%
 
Highlands  
Leave as is 95 43.8%
Convert one court to pickleball(allows for two courts of pickleball play) 39 18.0%
Convert both courts to pickleball only(allows for six courts of pickleball play) 61 28.1%
Provide moveable pickleball nets to be used on pickleball-marked courts only 22 10.1%
 
Lochwood  
Leave as tennis only. 74 34.1%
Mark pickleball lines on two courts. 48 22.1%
Provide moveable pickleball nets to be used on pickleball-marked courts only 14 6.5%
Convert one court to pickleball(allows for three courts of pickleball play if square fence) 45 20.7%
Convert two courts to pickleball(allows for six courts of pickleball play if square fence) 36 16.6%

 

A number of residents concerned that both Highlands courts were being seriously considered for conversion started a petition in which 222 responses were received against converting both courts.

The Board received quotes to repurpose two tennis courts at Highlands or Lochwood. If pickleball courts are placed at Highlands, there will no longer be tennis courts available there. If placed at Lochwood, courts 3 and 4 will be converted to pickleball. The quote amounts are included below. The quote to repurpose Highlands is more, due to the need to increase the size of the footprint, fencing, repairs and resurfacing.

  • Convert two (2) tennis courts to six (6) pickleball courts at Highlands: $71,362
  • Convert two (2) tennis courts to six (6) pickleball courts at Lochwood: $33,631

Pros and Cons of Each Option:

HIGHLANDS (convert both tennis courts to pickleball courts):

PROS

  • The current location of marked Pickleball courts in Lochmere
  • The ability to create a dedicated Pickleball Center (no tennis)

 CONS

  • Additional cost to convert
  • No bathrooms
  • Less access to staff for lessons
  • No tennis courts at Highlands

 LOCHWOOD (convert courts 3 and 4 to pickleball courts):

PROS

  • Reduced cost to convert
  • Retains tennis courts at Highlands
  • Year-round bathrooms
  • Proximity of staff for lessons

CONS

  • Reduces the number of usable tennis courts to 4 (courts 5 – 8); tennis staff reserves courts 1 and 2 until 8:00pm
  • No longer a dedicated tennis center; additional noise associated with pickleball
  • Less court availability during peak times and league play

 As you can see, there is no easy solution to this conundrum to provide pickleball courts in Lochmere.

We welcome constructive feedback by sending your comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Respectfully,

Lochmere Board of Directors