Recognition and Thanks

Dear Observer:

Four years ago, the sitting board appointed a committee whose task was to was to find a location for pickleball courts. Since this Ad-Hoc Pickleball Committee consisted of only pickleball players or tennis players, neither of whom wanted to  share courts, the only site considered was the CAC.

During the ensuing years, over $137,000 of OVA money was thrown away on this project by subsequent boards and the former manager.  In addition, the community was torn apart by these actions.

Seeing that there was an unrepresented majority of residents who opposed the exorbitant amount of money proposed to build new courts in an undesirable location, a group of concerned Oakmonters came together to make those concerns known.

There followed long years of raising objections at board meetings; gathering petitions that were totally dismissed by the then board; thousands of dollars wasted by the 2016-17 board in a premeditated attempt to force this project on the community; and residents being verbally and physically assaulted, being threatened with more violence and being told to move.    In spite of such adversity they never lost sight of what they hoped to accomplish.

Finally in 2017, a new board was successful in securing an accurate professional  sound study at the ERC and on April 19th, 2018, the
City Planning Department approved a conditional use permit to convert underutilized tennis courts into six pickleball courts.

If not for the unselfish and diligent efforts of these Oakmont residents, who spent countless hours in this effort, Oakmont will be getting two additional courts than originally planned at a savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars to OVA.

I would like to give recognition to those who spearheaded these efforts: Ellen Leznik, Carolyn Bettencourt, Tom and Lise Bonomi, Kerry Oswald, Ken Heyman, Kimber Patterson, Elaine Bennett and countless others who gave of their time, encouragement, and energy.