Commission approves single-day pickleball tournament during Franklin Civic Celebration with conditions

The Franklin Parks and Environmental Commission approved a request by the Franklin Civic Celebration to hold a pickleball tournament at Lions Legend Park on Saturday, July 5, with a rain date of July 6, after hearing details about expected attendance and site logistics.

John Bergner, chairman of the Franklin Civic Celebration, told the commission the event would run 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., include up to 40 two-player teams and provide on-site instruction and paddle sales. "It's going to be from 8AM to 4PM on Saturday, July 5," he said.

Commissioners asked about parking, overlap with the civic carnival and crowd control. Bergner said parking would rely on street and library parking and that the carnival would not start until noon. He said the civic celebration committee coordinates with the city police and public works for road closures and crowd control. The committee noted the fireworks would be the night before and they planned to lock the courts after play to prevent damage.

A motion was made to approve the request with conditions to reflect the submitted application: the tournament would be held only on July 5, hours would be 8 a.m.–4 p.m., and the rain date would be July 6. The commission recorded a split vote in which the motion passed; one commissioner explicitly said they were opposed and another mentioned a potential friendly amendment to limit participant numbers, but the final outcome approved the single-day event.

Commissioners also recommended the organizers post the reservation schedule at the courts and on the city website so park users see reserved times. The commission did not adopt limits on the number of participants at the meeting.