Roswell council votes to decommission Crabapple Center pickleball courts after neighbors’ noise concerns

The City of Roswell mayor and council voted 5–1 on March 23 to decommission the six pickleball courts built on the former Crabapple Middle School site and leave the surface fallow while staff returns with options for long-term use.

The action came after a presentation from Steven Malone, director of recreation and parks, who told council the courts were converted from two tennis courts in late 2025 and that construction — including initial north-side sound mitigation — totals about $207,000. Malone recommended converting the six pickleball courts back to two tennis courts but told council the restriping cost would be about $17,900.

Neighborhood speakers urged a different approach. Theresa Lynn, whose house sits about 114 feet from the courts, told the council that pickleball generates a high-pitched, intermittent sound that can be intrusive inside homes and linked the noise to sleep disruption and stress. Lynn urged council to approve the conversion, to adopt a noise ordinance tailored to pickleball, and to require setbacks between courts and residences.

Council debate focused on three trade-offs: sunk costs already expended, the modest cost to restripe the courts for tennis, and the programming value of maintaining courts intended for organized use. Council member Christine Hall emphasized the city’s acquisition and investment in the Crabapple property and the goal of programming the site; Alan Sells and several others argued that leaving the courts fallow would avoid further sunk-cost spending and give staff time to plan. Some council members noted additional sound-mitigation options that had not yet been spent — roughly $70,000 for enhanced fencing and landscaping — but questioned whether those measures are proven.

Council member Alan Sells moved to decommission the courts and “leave them fallow” until a future decision. After discussion, the motion passed, 5–1. Council members who voted to decommission said the approach balances resident concerns and fiscal caution while preserving options for future programming; the lone dissenting vote favored restriping and programming the courts to avoid leaving a costly asset unused.

The immediate effect is that the courts will not be programmed for pickleball. Staff said removing nets and securing fences or otherwise limiting play can be done at modest cost while the council considers longer-term uses for the site, which the city purchased and has invested roughly $12 million into so far.

The council also discussed future options to expand pickleball elsewhere in the city, including potential elements of the Hembree Park design and other facilities that could be considered over the next 18–24 months.

The council’s vote was procedural and final for tonight’s meeting; staff will return with recommendations and next steps for the Crabapple property.