Spoils to the victor in pickleball

Happy Monday! Let’s talk a little about pickle politics.
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The county had a nice ceremony Friday morning to open six new pickleball courts in Beverly Hills. The ribbon was cut and the courts filled with happy pickleball persons.

Well, not everyone was happy.

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Before I arrived, a man showed up with his tennis racket, none too happy that the former tennis courts were now for the pickleball set. The man was quite heated, and calmer heads had to de-escalate the situation.

I posted a photo Friday on the JWC Facebook page of Commissioner Janet Barek serving the first pickle (stole that line from a reader). The photo garnered 50 comments. A few were complimentary, but most complained about the old pool being closed and that it was former Commissioner Ruthie Schlabach, and not Barek, who fought for improvements.

So, let’s just go there.

There are many realities to politics, and this is one: Politicians don’t always see their projects to fruition before leaving office. When that happens, it’s the next person who receives the accolades.

Ruthie inherited the Beverly Hills pool problem. And, my, what a problem. Beverly Hills had a pool. The developer built it, deeding the pool and the adjoining park to the Beverly Hills Recreation Association. The idea being if the rec group became insolvent, the county would take over the pool and park.

That seemed unlikely when the arrangement was made in 1990. Beverly Hills was a thriving community of active retirees. It was the shining star of Citrus County developments. 

Well, we’ve seen a shift in Beverly Hills from retiree homeowners to families owning homes or renting. There are far fewer people involved in community activities than before. It’s practically impossible to get a consensus in Beverly Hills on anything of significance.

Along the way, Beverly Hills lost its political clout. The county took over the pool, park, and community center in 2011. Within five years, officials were talking about the pool use not keeping in line with costs.

The county closed the pool in 2019 with no plans beyond padlocking the gate. Beverly Hills had little direction going for it.

Ruthie, who took office in 2020, tried her best. She had town hall meetings, met with community leaders, crunched the numbers, and the result never changed.

The other commissioners were looking to her for some direction, but there was none. No one really knew what to do.

But they needed to do something. County officials found interest in pickleball courts, though they acknowledged some of that support may come from outside of Beverly Hills.

We now have six new pickleball courts (funded with American Rescue Plan money). It’s the first significant Beverly Hills community investment the county has made in well over 20 years. 

As for Commissioner Barek getting the spoils when she openly opposed pickleball courts as citizen Barek, welcome to politics. That’s how it works. Voters didn’t return Ruthie to office, so the person who follows her gets the pickle place of honor.

One more thought, then I’m done. Can we please slow down enough to appreciate these projects rather than dismiss them right away in anticipation of the next one? Yes, we’re behind in so many areas, including recreation, but shouldn’t we celebrate additions?

We’ve become like kids on Christmas morning, ripping the wrapping paper off one gift, only to discard it in order to rip the wrapping paper off another gift.

I’m no pickleball person (I now have a paddle with the county logo), but I appreciate the hard work that went into this project. That’s one for us.
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— The Just Wright Citrus subscriber Facebook page is off to a great start. As of Sunday afternoon, we had 31 members after announcing it on Friday.

Subscriptions are 99 cents/month for “exclusive content.” The official kickoff is May 1. We’re still working out the particulars, including what to call it. I’m leaning toward a reader’s suggestion: Just Wright Citrus Inner Circle.

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Very exciting times in Citrus County. We have much to discuss. This is the place to do that.

Have a great Monday, friends.

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