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Students urge more pickleball courts; neighbors raise speeding and water-quality concerns
Summary
High school students told commissioners the Central Park pickleball courts are full nightly and requested conversion/addition of courts; residents raised speeding, dog control, and suspected water-quality/boil‑water advisory concerns on Montgomery Avenue and asked for traffic calming and parking assistance for disabled residents.
Young players and neighborhood residents used the commission’s public‑comment period on April 23 to press the city for recreational and safety fixes.
Rudy Robinson, a sophomore at Paul G. Blazer, said 50–70 middle‑ and high‑school students use the courts most nights and asked the city to convert two tennis courts to pickleball and build additional courts. “There’s a need for more courts,” he said. Student Gavin Vincent said he uses the courts six days a week and described nightly waits of 20–30 minutes; he said four new courts would increase local attraction and bring visitors from neighboring states.
Commissioners responded that they recognize the demand and would work on solutions, with the mayor and others saying staff are “working on that.” The mayor and other commissioners thanked the students for coming and encouraged continued engagement.
Residents at 824 and 820 Montgomery Avenue raised separate concerns. Andre Nelson said vehicles speed near a shopping-mall area and requested handicapped parking, speed cushions and animal-control follow‑up for a dog that residents reported as aggressive. He also said residents had seen notices about water safety and said they were purchasing bottled water or filters. City staff advised him to contact police and animal control, and staff said they would investigate sanitation/water messaging and follow up after the meeting.
Donald Tomlin, a recent amputee, described problems accessing his car from the sidewalk and asked the city to install a curb cut so he could roll a wheelchair directly onto the street; staff said they would assess his location and follow up.
What’s next: Staff agreed to investigate water‑quality notices and to coordinate police or public‑works responses for traffic and accessibility requests. Commissioners signaled support for exploring additional pickleball courts and asked staff to return with options and timelines.
