Let there be pickles!
By Matthew McCully
I’m sitting here in an office cooking right now. Partly because it is 25 degrees, and partly because I am fuming mad that after emailing the City of Sherbrooke to ask that the tennis courts in Lennoxville be unlocked, I was told that parks in the municipality won’t open to the public until May 15.
I think I would have preferred being ignored than getting an answer like that.
I understand the issue. The ground is still really soft and mushy, which could affect the grass, or bike trails. I’m with you, there’s a reason these rules are in place.
And sure, there’s scheduling to account for, lots of moving parts at the municipality, it’s never as simple as someone popping over and unlocking the courts…which are gathering dust right now…in the full sun…with pickleball lines drawn…and me with a net in the trunk of my car.
But here’s the thing.
First of all, tell me a young mother of two is going to abstain from letting her kids head over and play on the slide at the park, or a kid with a basketball is going to stand just off the court and stare longingly at the hoop waiting for May 15.
The fence around a tennis court is there to keep the balls from flying out, not to keep the players from getting in.
The nets aren’t even set up yet. What’s the concern? Thieves absconding with 80 X 80 feet of concrete?
Oh, and the passive reminder that I had actually emailed the wrong department, and if I had more questions, I should call a different number was the icing on the cake.
Do I need to be gaslit on my Friday?
Am I going to have to close down Speid Street and have a pickle-in to be heard?
The funny thing is, I’d be willing to bet the person who replied to my inquiry is about five degrees of separation away from decision-makers, who likely looked out the bloody window and said Hey, people are going to want to hit these parks sooner than later, let’s see if we can speed up the process a bit. And I’m sure I’ll be on the courts before May 15.
But, for future phone messages, I’d suggest the less said, the better, to avoid triggering taxpayers.
