Committee to pilot pickleball lines on one tennis court amid concerns over competing uses

The Parks, Recreation and Harbor Advisory Committee on April 10 discussed rising local demand for pickleball and directed staff to pilot adding pickleball lines to one tennis court at Little City Park and evaluate conflicts with tennis players before further action.

Marie Tulep, parks and recreation director, outlined the current inventory: three dedicated city pickleball courts at Williams Park, four dedicated pickleball courts at the high school, dual-use courts at Cohen School, and two lit city tennis courts at Hayford and two at Little City. "We will continue unless there's strong sentiment here for us to try aligning…we'll try this at Little City, see how it goes, and monitor it," Tulep said.

Committee members expressed concern about balancing tennis players— needs — particularly a strong tennis program at Hayford Park — with growing pickleball interest. Suggestions included designating one court to remain tennis-only, establishing time blocks when tennis takes precedence, or testing shared lines in a way that can be easily removed. The committee supported starting conservatively: add lines to one tennis court at Little City and monitor use and potential conflicts before broader changes.

Tulep said past local experience showed neighbors accepted conversion where courts had been unused (Williams Park), and that staff could consider temporary striping or removable solutions to test demand without long-term commitment. The committee gave staff direction to pilot the change and report back on usage patterns and any complaints or operational issues.