Badminton courts @ Red Hill Gym - Please come to city hall on 8-13-24 to support this project
Badminton In Irvine
The Bad News: The city has decided not to proceed with the Bill Barber Memorial Park Gym due to space constraints, higher-than-expected build costs, and a long completion timeline.
The Good News: The city manager will propose to the city council the acquisition of the property at 17300 Redhill Ave, next to Homewood Suites by Hilton Irvine in the Irvine Business Complex neighborhood, to convert it into a gym. This alternative is more cost-effective and can be completed within a year, which is 1-2 years sooner than the Bill Barber Memorial Park Gym. This means the badminton community will have a permanent home sooner than expected.
The Mixed News: The original plan for the Bill Barber Gym included 16 dedicated badminton courts. The proposed Red Hill Gym will have 10 dedicated badminton courts and an additional 8 non-dedicated courts. Please see the sample of the projected floor plan below.
Bottom Line: Life doesn’t always go as planned, and the "Badminton in Irvine" project has had its ups and downs over the past three years. Despite this, the volunteer group believes the Red Hill Gym is a worthwhile trade-off. It’s time to put a stake in the ground and move forward.
We hope the badminton community will support this new proposal and join us at city hall on August 13, 2024, to advocate for the Red Hill Gym project.
I want to personally thank everyone who has steadfastly supported the volunteer group over the past three years. Also, special thanks to the core volunteer group for their time and dedication, and apologies to the Irvine youth who left Irvine to college and have missed out on playing badminton in their city. I hope all of you will return to Irvine someday and get to enjoy this new gym. Lastly, thank you to those brave enough to present to the Irvine city council with me.
See you all at city hall on August 13, 2024. We are Irvine and we play badminton!
