CALEDONIA—Beneath the bright playing surface of Caledonia’s new pickleball courts is imported stone, a specialized asphalt system, and months of work shaped by the site’s wet, low-lying ground.
The Royal Canadian Legion Caledonia Branch 154 Pickleball Courts officially opened June 27, 2026, giving the community four dedicated courts, a practice area, lighting, seating, and shade structures within McKinnon Park.
Court Surface Specialists was responsible for the engineering and design work, excavation, base construction, fencing, playing surface, concrete seating pads, lighting foundations, and a pathway connecting the facility to the parking lot.
Bradley Taylor, the company’s vice-president of construction, said the first step was developing a design that accounted for the property’s existing elevations and soil conditions.
“We knew it was a wet area, a flooded area,” Taylor said.
After Haldimand County approved the design, crews began excavating the site during the first week of September 2025. About one foot of organic material was removed to reach the clay below.
Crews then laid geotextile fabric over the excavated area and began importing granular A and granular B materials to form the court base. Because portions of the site were low, the base was built close to three feet deep in some areas to raise the playing area and provide a stable foundation.
That initial excavation and base work took approximately three weeks.
The next phase began in October and included installing fence posts, preparing the playing surface, and constructing foundations for the light poles. The posts were drilled around the court perimeter and set in concrete before the fencing mesh was added.
Light foundations were also excavated and formed using concrete tubes. The electrical system was designed to connect with the existing infrastructure at the nearby Caledonia Lions Community Centre.
Crews installed the light poles and completed the asphalt pathway in November. The pathway stretches approximately 325 feet and is 10 feet wide, giving it a total area slightly larger than one pickleball court.
Winter weather eventually forced work to stop. Although the company initially hoped to return in April 2026, a wet spring delayed the restart until mid-May.
“The water table levels were pretty high, so we had to push the start date,” Taylor said.
The remaining work included pouring concrete pads for seating areas, installing footings for the pickleball nets, applying the acrylic playing surface, and adding benches and shade structures. Those elements were completed through May and June ahead of the opening ceremony.
Unlike the hot-mix asphalt commonly used for roads and parking lots, the Caledonia courts use an asphalt penetration surface designed specifically for racket sports.
Construction begins with a layer of three-quarter-inch clear stone that is laser graded, compacted, and sprayed with liquid asphalt emulsion. A layer of quarter-inch chip stone is then spread across the surface, levelled with a beam, compacted, and sprayed again.
Concrete sand forms the upper layer, filling the remaining spaces and creating a surface suitable for the acrylic coating.
Taylor said the finished system is softer than conventional asphalt, reducing the impact on players’ joints and making it easier on the body. That softness also means vehicles, lawnmowers, and other heavy equipment cannot be driven across the courts without potentially leaving indentations.
Instead of fitting each court into a minimum 30-by-60-foot area, the Caledonia design provides approximately 40 by 65 feet for each court, leaving additional space for benches and movement around the playing area.
Taylor said tournament courts must be at least 34 by 64 feet, while facilities generally need a minimum of four courts to accommodate organized tournament play. The Caledonia facility meets both requirements.
Divider fencing helps prevent balls from travelling between games, while windscreens around the perimeter provide protection to keep the lightweight balls in play. The dedicated practice area is another feature Taylor said is absent from many other public facilities.
Lighting extends the hours in which the courts can be used and gives players an alternative to playing during the hottest part of summer days.
“A lot of seniors play pickleball too, so being able to escape the prime-time heat and to be able to play in the evenings is a great addition to those courts,” Taylor said.
He described the finished facility as unusually complete for a municipal outdoor project.
“Every bell and whistle you guys could have got for an outdoor pickleball facility was chosen,” Taylor said.
The courts were funded through more than $480,000 raised by the Caledonia Legion Legacy Committee in partnership with donors, community organizations, and Haldimand County.
