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Pickleball players and tennis advocates push for more courts and careful planning
Summary
Pickleball proponents urged BET to expand low‑cost, multi‑generational play by striping tennis courts, adding lights where appropriate and consulting players; tennis players and others cautioned against cannibalizing tennis courts and urged careful site design and durable surfacing.
Residents who play pickleball told the BET the sport has become an important, low‑cost social and recreational resource and asked the town to increase access through inexpensive measures such as striping existing tennis courts or using portable nets.
A gDIP representative said the group includes about 1,500 players and described pickleball as a way residents meet and form community ties. "Pickleball is a very accessible, inclusive, and cheap sport," the speaker said, urging the town to encourage it and consider inexpensive conversions and portable nets.
Speakers with tennis backgrounds cautioned that any conversion must avoid degrading tennis play. One tennis player said courts could be adapted in ways that do not "cannibalize tennis" and suggested evening lights and modern surfacing where appropriate. Another speaker and a representative of the national pickleball league recommended durable, permeable quartz surfaces that reduce winter cracking and long‑term maintenance costs.
Speakers asked for town consultation with user groups to identify appropriate locations (Pinney Park and other sites were cited) and to consider hybrid courts that accommodate both sports without reducing functionality for school athletics.
