A partnership between Sunset Community and Pugwash was feted on Thursday, June 13, 2024, with the official opening of a new $400,000-plus pickleball and tennis facility on Sunset property near the village.
“This partnership is a great example of what can be achieved when we come together with a shared purpose and a determination to make a positive impact,” Sunset Community executive director Julie Hoeg said moments before the ribbon was cut by Sunset residents to officially open the facility. “These courts signify the importance of community partnerships, of the public and private working together to achieve big things in small communities.”
The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) was a major funding partner in the project, providing $250,000 through its Canada Community Revitalization Fund, while the provincial government, through the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, gave $85,000. The Municipality of the County of Cumberland provided $15,000 plus $6,750 in district grants to the project while the tennis and pickle ball association’s members contributed $37,000 and the Gulf Shore Campground and the River Philip Foundation each provided $10,000.
Hoeg said she received a call from Mark Scott in 2021 sharing his concern that the Northumberland Tennis and Pickleball Association was losing hope of maintaining the existing tennis/pickleball courts in the village proper. He asked if there was land available to develop a new facility.
“Land is something Sunset has lots of and as an organization striving to provide new opportunities and increasing community inclusion,” Hoeg said. “This project was a perfect blend of new recreational activity and inviting the community to be more present at Sunset.”
The partnership, she said, never would’ve gotten off the ground with the support of Sunset’s board of directors, the municipality and the tennis and pickleball association, which formed Courts and Communities in Action that went to work over a year submitting funding applications and requesting money from private donors.
“We welcome the future and further inclusion into our local community. Pugwash has always been very accepting and welcoming to our Sunset participants over the many years and these courts provide an opportunity for us to welcome the community members into Sunset,” Hoeg said. “It is a dream come true to offer this exceptional recreation experience on our grounds and our residents and employees have already begun to learn the sport and have a lot of fun.”
Municipality of Cumberland Mayor Murray Scott speaks during the official opening of a new tennis and pickleball facility at Sunset Community in Pugwash. Darrell Cole - Municipality of Cumberland photo
Diane Burnham, president of the Northumberland Tennis and Pickleball Association, said the opening is a significant milestone for tennis and pickleball players as well as Sunset and the community.
“We’ve come a long way, from many years on our hands and knees filling in the cracks on the old village courts, to now enjoying play on pristine new courts with plenty of room for both tennis and pickleball and open to the entire community,” Burnham said.
Cumberland municipal council District 3 Coun. Jennifer Houghtaling and Sunset board chair said the project is huge for the community.
“This project is all about collaboration, inclusion and community and everyone coming together to create something that’s going to benefit everyone for years to come,” Houghtaling said. “Those things mean so much to the Sunset community and this project brings them all together.”
Mayor Murray Scott, who joined in the pickleball demonstrations later, said the project is just another example of great things happening in the Pugwash area and he thanked the community for its support.
“Where else but Pugwash could you expect the kind of support that we are celebrating here today,” the mayor said. “We saw it with the Pugwash Library and we saw it again with this beautiful facility. The community was asked for support, and it responded. It’s absolutely phenomenal.”
Cumberland North MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin said the facility is an example of what can be accomplished with the community puts its mind to something. She said it will enhance physical and mental wellbeing of the people of the Pugwash area.