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In just a few days, the Monterey NCIP committee will vote on the 2023-24 proposed projects. Our project to build eight new pickleball courts, from scratch, at Ryan Ranch Park is one of these projects. Additional information about the project and NCIP can be found in my previous blog post here.


Please show your support by attending the NCIP voting meeting on Thursday June 1


The meeting begins at 6PM and will be held at the Monterey City Council Chamber (580 Pacific St). Parking is available in the Dutra St. lot behind the building. Additional information can be found in the agenda here.


I am hoping for a strong presence of pickleball players at the meeting so we can show the committee how important this project is to us and how many people will benefit from the project. We are asking anyone that is available to attend regardless if you are a Monterey resident or not. You don't need to speak -- just show up to show your support. In fact, it's best if you don't speak. We don't want to overwhelm the committee members with too many comments. To many speakers may actually harm our project.


We will have a few designated speakers. During public comment, they will ask everyone to stand or raise their hand to show support for the project. That's all you need to do. You can leave after public comment is over or you can stay for the vote. I'm guessing public comment will be over by 7PM.


The committee will take public comment on all the projects first. Then they will go through all the projects (there are lots of them) and vote on each one. The vote on our project should occur somewhere in the middle. Only the top vote getters will pass. The number of passing projects depends on the cost of each project, the total project budget, and how many votes each project gets. At the conclusion of the meeting, we may know if our project passes, but, it's possible that we will not.


There are 103 proposed projects this year. The majority of them are previously approved projects that were defunded in 2020 due to the pandemic and financial crisis. So, getting a new project like ours through will be difficult. That's why it is so important that we have a strong presence.


Our project is asking the City to allocate $80,000 for the pickleball court design planning process this year. If we get enough votes and the project is approved, next year we will submit a project to build the courts. The preliminary construction cost is $400,000.


I hope you will consider attending.


See you on the courts -- and at Thursday's meeting!

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Do you live in the city of Monterey? Or know someone who does? Would you like to have new, dedicated, public courts to play on?


If you answered "yes" to these questions, the Monterey Bay Pickleball Club needs your help.

The Club has proposed the development of 8 dedicated pickleball courts in the city’s Ryan Ranch Park, near the intersection of Highways 218 (Canyon Del Rey) & 68.



Each court would be individually fenced with ample spacing between sidelines and fences for all your "Around-the-Post" shots. 😉 The current concept includes shaded seating for socializing.

To make this a reality, we need the vocal support of Monterey pickleball players and other Montereyans.


In the City of Monterey, projects like this are implemented through the NCIP program. That's the Neighborhood and Community Improvement Program. This unique program gives Monterey residents a voice on how hotel tax revenue is spent. While anyone can submit a project, it must be recommended by the NCIP committee for approval by the Monterey City Council. Conceived in part to compensate residents for the impact of the tourist industry, the NCIP committee members want to know that projects are really benefitting Monterey residents.


There may be 100 projects proposed to the NCIP committee each year, so, competition is fierce. There is one NCIP representative and alternate for each of the neighborhoods in Monterey. The current NCIP representatives can be found here.


John Sovereign and Michael Kennedy are Monterey residents leading our pickleball lobbying efforts. Their contact info is below.


John Sovereign jsovereign@pacbell.net

Michael Kennedy kennedybioman@gmail.com


Here are some ways you can help. Your participation and support is greatly appreciated.

  1. Email the NCIP committee at engineering-admin@monterey.org and copy John and Michael. Let them know what neighborhood you live in and that you support the NCIP project RR-02 : Ryan Ranch Pickleball Courts. Provide some detail about what pickleball means to you, how it's changed your life, the social and physical benefits you receive, etc. If you don’t know what Monterey neighborhood you live in, you can provide your street address in the email.

  2. Let one of the NCIP committee members know that you would like to meet with them to discuss this project. Meeting your neighborhood's NCIP representative over a cup of coffee at Starbucks is a great way to approach this. Or if you prefer, let them know that Michael and John would like to speak with them on your behalf to provide additional information. Then let Michael and John know so they can coordinate with others in your neighborhood. If you know a committee member personally, please let Michael and John know that, too.

  3. Attend one of the upcoming NCIP meetings on Thursday, May 11 or June 1. We are looking for Monterey residents or property owners who are willing to to tell their brief (3 minute max) pickleball story at either of these meetings. Please reach out to Michael and John if you can attend. They will be happy to coach you if you want help with your comments. Even if you don't want to speak, one of us will ask all those that have come to the meeting to support this project to stand up or raise their hand. The committee likes to know that there is wide support, but even they don't want to listen to 20 different stories. 😊 If you can attend either of these meetings, please let John and Michael know so we can have a head count. Again, a strong presence will go a long way.

    • These meetings begin at 6 pm in the City Council Chambers located at 580 Pacific Street. Parking is available in the Dutra St. lot behind the building. The meetings may be long. If you prefer, there is a remote attendance option through Zoom or telephone (contact John for details).

Again, please email John and Michael with your street address and how you would like to voice your support. They can figure out who is your NCIP rep and will work with you to move forward.


Lastly, if you don't live in Monterey, please mention this effort to your friends that do. They don't even need to be pickleball players.


Thanks for your help, and as always, see you on the courts!












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