Select Board approves pilot to repaint pickleball lines black on two courts

The Wolfeboro Select Board approved a short-term pilot to repaint existing yellow pickleball lines black on two Fosse Field courts as part of broader efforts to manage competing tennis and pickleball play.

Resident Grant Hatch, representing local players, presented photos, use-rate figures and safety concerns for tightly packed blended lines. "If you extrapolate the numbers, it means only about 5 out of every 100 Fosse Court users are tennis players," Hatch said, arguing the current striping disproportionately reserves court surface for a small share of users and that black lines are less visually distracting for dual-use courts.

Hatch warned that accepting a USTA grant could lock court markings in place until 2031 and described the grant's annualized value as modest compared with the opportunity cost of reduced local flexibility. He offered a local volunteer with decades of court-painting experience to apply temporary black lines at no cost.

Parks & Recreation staff told the board they had approved a separate trial to manage morning play using color-coded paddle tabs and that resurfacing timing depends on weather and contractor schedules. The board discussed possible temporary tape versus painted lines, wear and removal issues, and the risk of adhesive residue if tape is used.

Select Board member Linda Murray moved to pilot turning the yellow lines black on courts 3 and 4 and to treat the change as a trial until the scheduled resurfacing; the motion passed by voice vote. Parks & Rec will monitor usage and report back; if unsuccessful, the lines can be removed during resurfacing.

What's next: Parks & Rec will deploy the morning management trial and monitor the black-line pilot; the town will track user feedback and the board will revisit the issue before any permanent change or grant acceptance.