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Board approves Walker Field tennis courts; residents press for pickleball relocation, noise buffers and parking plan
Summary
After resident testimony about noise and parking, the Board voted 5-0 to allow the School District to proceed with six tennis courts at Walker Field; residents asked that pickleball courts be sited at Heuser Park and requested testing, tree buffering and no permanent lighting covenants.
School District engineer John Kelly and UMASD Director of Operations Bob Murkowski presented detailed plans for six tennis courts and a new trail connection at Walker Field, saying the courts will be "set back at least 300 feet from the closest house property line" and that the School will plant 12 evergreen trees along the front of the courts as a visual buffer. Murkowski said the School will perform pre- and post-construction noise testing to measure decibel levels and determine additional plantings if needed.
Several neighbors urged that pickleball—whose sound characteristics they described as sharper than tennis—be located at Heuser Park rather than Walker Field and asked for covenants prohibiting future lighting and for provisions to address parking, bus staging and ADA access. Resident Tim Hoover said his letter asked that pickleball courts be at least 350 feet from the nearest house. After considering the presentation and mitigation measures the Board voted to approve the School moving forward with the tennis court project; the motion passed 5-0.
