On Sept. 3 the Parks and Recreation Board held its regular monthly meeting. The board meets on the first Tuesday of each month and the agenda includes a standing segment for public comment and input. Typically, there is next to no public engagement in these board meetings. However, this meeting sharply broke trend with a significant and enthusiastic showing of public interest in pickleball.
With the intention of transparency, as chairperson of the board, I’m sharing information regarding this topic given the degree of community interest exhibited and to generally raise awareness of this town board and our charge. During public comment, several residents who live adjacent to Salmon Brook Park expressed concerns about quality-of-life impacts arising from the noise of pickleball play, play occurring beyond park hours of operation, and general courtesy and respect of park rules.
Pickleball is played on the fenced, hard courts used for various racket games and other sports near the main entrance to Salmon Brook Park. Residents were looking for constructive solutions and not for an abrupt cancellation of pickleball. During public comment, many community members and park users advocating their enjoyment of pickleball play at Salmon Brook Park had a mutual interest in addressing concerns through longer-term solutions to enhance park features and facilities as well as to address the rapid growth and popularity of the sport.
The board’s commitment to those in attendance for public input was to listen and seek understanding of the multiple experiences being shared. We did listen. We are starting to learn and have made a commitment to work toward understanding the total impacts of pickleball and how P&R can look for win-win solutions for the community
The board met again via Special Meeting on Sept. 17 to exclusively discuss pickleball and set a plan to further learn and develop understanding of potential options. While there wasn’t an agenda item for public comment and input, there was a sizable showing of interested members of the community. This is not a small or insignificant topic, and it will take time to assess potential solutions.
In the short-run, the Parks and Recreation Department has adjusted lighting of the courts to better align with park hours, and park rules have been posted on the court fences. In the long-run, the board needs ongoing collaboration from the community with additional data, experiences and knowledge to solve this topic and the long-term needs and expectations of the community for P&R services and facilities.
The Parks and Recreation Board meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6:15 p.m. at the Park House at Salmon Brook Park.