As fall transitions into winter we could have many days where the temps never make it above 45 degrees resulting in a marked increase in ball breakage of the lighter green/yellow balls which become brittle from the cold. We want to be as environmentally and budget conscious as we can to keep breakage to a minimum. 

There are several recommended ways to extend ball life and prevent cracking due to the cold:

• New P-ball warmer.  The warmer is located to the far right of the small Pickleball main pavilion, just next to the water cooler, and mounted on the post (looks like a small red/white food cooler). Balls will be stored in this small heater unit until ready to be used in play. Retrieve balls from the warmer for play, and when finished, please return balls back to the warmer for others to use as needed. The balls that will be stored in the warmer will be the green/yellowish balls that are lighter, and many consider more responsive. Important Note: To avoid overheating please do not adjust or change any of the settings on the box’s control panel. Thanks go to Chris Wunder and Rick Clark for making this happen.
•  Keep a spare ball in a pocket and rotate using this ball in your next game with the ball just used. 
• Use the yellow more solidly built balls which are less prone to cracking and stand up better to the cold. We will have a supply of these hardier yellow balls available in a bin just left of the storage cabinet by the common area between courts 1&2 and 3&4.

 As always you are welcome to bring your own pickleballs if you wish.

 Reminders: 

• During leaf season we have volunteers that will clean leaves off the courts in the mornings.  There will be times when leaves will be a reoccurring problem throughout the day.  If this happens, we have recently purchased an electric handheld leaf blower.  It is in the left rear shed.  The battery is stored in a charging station to the right of the blower.  It is easy to use.  If you would like additional guidance on usage and access, you can contact Tom Hunter directly, or speak with any of the other Board members. Thanks to all the volunteers who help!
• If you or your group opens umbrellas or moves the heavy tables around to have an event, please return to original state before leaving the court area.  The umbrellas can be damaged if left open during moderate winds.