Durango Parks and Recreation is planning on building up to 6 pickleball courts in the parking lot of the Smith Sports Complex, resulting in the loss of 70+ parking spaces. As parents, athletes, and concerned citizens, we understand the negative impact this could place on youth athletes, programs, families, and parents when attending youth sports practices and events at Smith Field.

We firmly believe Durango Parks and Recreation did not engage the largest and most active stakeholders who utilize Smith Field on a regular basis; such as the Durango Lacrosse Club and the Durango Youth Soccer Association which, alone, represent over 500+ youth athletes. 

The Durango Lacrosse Club, the Durango Youth Soccer Association, and their community friends and concerned citizens request that the City of Durango Parks and Recreation conduct a long-term study of the potential long-term impacts to youth sports and other programs that use Smith Field, and produce and publish a new survey that requests existing stakeholder input regarding the proposed pickleball courts and its potential negative impact on those programs that use the Smith Field Complex regularly. After a legitimate long-term study has been conducted, existing stakeholders have been fully engaged, and a new survey is completed, we request a new round of townhall meetings to discuss the study, stakeholder outreach and engagement, and new survey results.

Proposed Pickleball Courts Project: https://durangogov.org/571/Current-Projects