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Commissioners consider measures to curb late-night pickleball crowds at municipal tennis complex
Summary
At the June 18 Tennis and Pickleball Commission meeting, commissioners and staff discussed persistent evening pickleball overcrowding, reports of trash and at least one incident of vomit on courts, and agreed to enforce a new 10 p.m. lights-out policy while exploring signage, staffing, and scheduling changes.
Commissioners at the Tennis and Pickleball Commission meeting on June 18 heard extended discussion about growing evening pickleball use at the municipal tennis complex and agreed on immediate steps to reduce overcrowding and late-night disturbances.
The commission was told staff and police have increased monitoring after repeatedly large groups of players have gathered in the evenings. A commissioner described one recent night with “about 60 people” on the courts and said constituents reported trash and “vomit on the courts,” urging stronger measures to protect families and reserved tournament play. The transcript does not record that commission members identified themselves by name for these remarks; the statements are attributed to a committee member in the meeting record.
Staff said they have been asking pickleball players to leave courts reserved for tennis and have coordinated with the police department to provide a visible presence. The commission noted the police requested that court lighting be turned off at 10:00 p.m. instead of 11:00 p.m.; the meeting record shows the lights schedule was changed to a 10:00 p.m. cutoff.
Commissioners and staff discussed a range of operational responses: clearer signage to indicate court use rules, reallocating staff or facility attendants for evening coverage, targeted outreach to youth players to direct them to alternate courts (Patterson, McFadden) that sit empty while the main complex fills, and limited gate closures at select times to protect reserved tournament play. One commissioner proposed locking a gate at 9:00 p.m. during peak weeks to test whether restricting access reduces conflicts; staff said they would evaluate whether that would interfere with legitimate late tennis play.
Staff also noted mitigating design elements already in place at the complex — for example, a hitting wall between courts that reduces audible pickleball noise for adjacent tennis play — and said maintenance and facility teams are coordinating to ensure orderly installation of new shade structures and windscreens planned for next week.
The commission did not adopt a formal policy at the meeting; staff were directed to continue monitoring, consider temporary scheduling and staffing changes, and return with further recommendations. The minutes will record the discussion and the lighting change; the transcript records vocal approval of routine meeting minutes earlier in the session but individual names were not provided for that vote.
