Pickleball Plan Revamped: On Tuesday, April 8, Wellesley Town Meeting members voted to amend and approve a plan to refurbish and reconfigure the Hunnewell tennis courts for shared use by both tennis and pickleball players. The decision came after two hours of debate and passed with a final vote of 166-27-4.
The original $1.2 million plan, supported by the Natural Resources Commission (NRC), Board of Public Works, and Recreation Commission, proposed replacing one of eight tennis courts with three pickleball courts, plus adding one court at the practice wall. The goal was to meet growing demand for pickleball without building new courts elsewhere.
Plan Reworked to Balance Needs
Town Meeting member and Wellesley High School student Kourosh Farboodmanesh proposed an amendment that gained approval. His change keeps all eight tennis courts and allows courts seven and eight to be used for pickleball outside of the school tennis season.
“Earlier today in the presentation you heard from the NRC that their goal is to address the needs of the entire town,” Farboodmanesh said. “This proposed amendment allows us as a body to do so by allowing the use for both pickleball and tennis players…”
The amendment passed by a vote of 107-93-1. After further debate, the amended main motion was approved by a wider margin.
Support and Opposition Shared
Supporters of the original plan said pickleball needed a dedicated space due to noise complaints at other sites and the sport’s rapid growth. NRC member Jay McHale noted that 25% of court reservations are now for pickleball.
However, the high school tennis community, including coaches, parents, and players, opposed losing a court. They said reducing courts from eight to seven would force them to cut team members.
Wellesley High player Yaniv Taussky said the amendment would “effectively be maximizing the space.” Former team parent and Town Meeting member Tom Taylor also supported the change: “I think an ‘and’ solution rather than an ‘either/or’ solution is definitely the way to go.”
Wellesley Community Pickleball co-lead Danna Greenberg spoke against the amendment: “These are two wonderful racket activities, with equal players, equal health, and equal community benefits,” she said, pointing to a lack of outdoor pickleball space.
Ashley Quates, recovering from a pickleball injury, shifted her stance. She initially opposed the amendment but later supported the amended motion to encourage greater access to outdoor recreation.
Town Weighs Other Concerns
Residents raised issues about potential court noise, soundproofing, and the nearby playground. Some asked whether neighbors had been properly surveyed. McHale defended the original proposal, stating, “shared use spaces continuously never worked in our town.” The NRC reaffirmed its support for the initial plan. The Advisory Committee opposed the amendment with a 12-0 vote. But School Committee Chair Linda Chow announced that her board supported the amendment.
Questions were also raised about how losing one tennis court would lead to a 25% cut in team size. This is due to scheduling, as the seven courts would be split between the boys’ and girls’ teams.
Other Town Meeting Business
Town Meeting also approved several funding measures:
$5.1 million for Weston Road upgrades. DPW Director David Cohen said granite curbing may be replaced to improve cyclist safety. The motion passed 190-1.
$2 million for playground upgrades at Fiske Elementary, Oullet Park, and the former Upham School. This passed by voice vote.
$1.34 million to address PFAS chemicals in drinking water. Cohen said a permanent solution at Morses Pond will replace the temporary system.
Town Meeting returns Monday, April 14, to review a proposed tax exemption for eligible veterans under Article 28.
News in Brief: Pickleball Plan Revamped
Wellesley Town Meeting approved an amended plan to keep all eight Hunnewell tennis courts while allowing shared use with pickleball. The $1.2M project drew debate from both sports’ supporters. The decision aims to balance growing demand for pickleball with high school tennis needs. Other funding items passed with strong support.
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