Pickleball Facilities at Tamaques Park: Pickleball players in Westfield have something to celebrate as the newly painted lines and additional pickleball courts at Tamaques Park are now available for play. As pickleball continues to surge in popularity, local players have more space to enjoy their matches, thanks to the modifications made to existing tennis courts.
“I want to say it was two more pickleball courts than we had previously.” said Town Administrator Jim Gildea during a town council meeting on Tuesday.
Tennis Courts Modified for Pickleball
The recently resurfaced courts at Tamaques Park now accommodate tennis and pickleball players. According to Gildea, several of the back courts have been fitted with temporary nets specifically for pickleball, while preserving the front courts for tennis.
Council member James Hely, a tennis player himself, was impressed by the changes.
“I was there this Monday morning at 6 a.m. and it’s painted. It’s beautiful. The courts closest to the parking lot are all for tennis, and the further away ones are for pickleball.” – (Hely)
However, Hely acknowledged potential challenges for tennis players, who will need to remove the pickleball nets after each session. “It’s going to be a little bit of a nuisance for the tennis players to remove the pickleball nets,” he said, adding that some pickleball players might forget to take them down after use.
Managing Pickleball Court Access
To help manage the new setup, the town has purchased temporary nets and introduced an online court reservation system. Mayor Shelley Brindle and Councilman Michael Armento inquired about net availability, to which Gildea responded that the recreation department would store the nets and manage scheduling.
“We have a new thing on the website for signing up for court time, for pickleball particularly, so they can actually schedule time to put the nets out there and then pull it back off.” – (Gildea)
Expansion Plans Beyond Tamaques Park
If the modifications at Tamaques Park prove successful, the town is considering expanding the concept to other parks. “They’re looking at Memorial Park to do the same kind of thing,” Gildea said, noting that the Elm Street courts are managed separately by the school board and would not be affected by the town’s changes.
News in Brief : Pickleball Facilities at Tamaques Park
Westfield has expanded its pickleball facilities by adding newly painted lines and temporary nets at Tamaques Park. The town modified the back tennis courts to allow for two additional pickleball courts while preserving space for tennis.
A new court reservation system for pickleball players has also been introduced. If successful, similar changes may be implemented at Memorial Park.
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