Subject:
Title
Glyndon Park Pickleball Survey
Body
BACKGROUND SUMMARY:
Glyndon Park tennis/pickleball courts have shared use courts to include 4 pickleball courts and 2 tennis courts. The 2 tennis courts were striped for a total of 4 pickleball courts in 2019 when the courts were refurbished.
The Parks & Recreation Department have received numerous concerns/complaints from residents regarding pickleball at Glyndon Park. Parks and Recreation staff have taken action to remedy these concerns/complaints to include implementing a reservation system for the courts, restricting open play for tennis and pickleball to certain dates and times and encouraging pickleball players to use overflow parking in the upper lot of the baseball field along with posting overflow parking signage.
The most recent complaint from the Glyndon Park neighbors is the noise from pickleball has ruined the livability of their neighborhood and significantly decreased the value of their homes. The neighbors have requested pickleball be banned from Glyndon Park. As a result of this most recent complaint, the Parks and Recreation Department considered reducing pickleball play even further. To be equitable to neighbors and the resident pickleball community, staff engaged both groups with surveys.
OVERVIEW:
Neighborhood Resident Survey - To gage the impact of pickleball on the residents that live in close proximity to the courts, staff developed a survey to determine whether pickleball negatively affects them, is the current pickleball/tennis schedule acceptable and if residents felt that a pickleball schedule adjustment was needed. They were asked to rank three schedule options. Staff developed the schedule options incorporating “quiet” days, no “pop, pop, pop” that comes from pickleball play.
Neighborhood Resident Surveys were sent via mail to 34 households that surround Glyndon Park nearest the courts, to include Jean Place NE, Ainstree Ct NE, Sherwood Drive NE and the block of Glyndon St. NE from Ainstree Court to Ayr Hill Ave. Of the 17 survey responses received, the neighbors negatively impacted by pickleball are primarily located on Jean Place (5 of the 5 homes) and Ainstree Ct. (3 of the 7 homes), both cul-de-sacs that are adjacent to the courts. One resident on Sherwood Drive and one resident on Glyndon Street reported that pickleball negatively affects them. Primary concerns included noise, parking and location of courts to homes. The scheduling consensus of the Ainstree Court, Jean Place and Sherwood Drive respondents was split evenly on the first two scheduling options:
o OPTION 1 - Pickleball hours held Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 8am-8pm. No weekend pickleball. Open play for Town residents and non-residents.
o OPTION 2 - Pickleball hours held Monday/Wednesday from 8am-8pm and Saturday from 8am-5pm. Open play for Town residents and non-residents.
Pickleball Player Survey - Staff evaluated the feedback from the neighborhood option preference to develop the survey for the Town resident pickleball players. Pickleball survey respondents can choose a schedule option and/or provide a comment. Staff reviewed the pickleball player survey with Tom Warren, the representative from the “Vienna Pickleball Club” as it is known on Facebook, prior to Town staff releasing it to the public. 89 responses were received from resident pickleball players with 65 residents preferring the scheduling option of Mon/Wed 8am to 8pm & Saturday 8am - 5pm. Primary concerns and comments included: neither scheduling options are acceptable, there should be no time restrictions on pickleball play, retain the ability to reserve court time, build dedicated pickleball courts, mitigate noise with foam balls/barriers/trees, pickleball has numerous social and physical benefits, neighbors bought/built a house next to a park so they should understand the implications of that and the Town is considering restricting services to many when the complaints are coming from just a few.
SUMMARY/STAFF IMPRESSIONS:
Parks and Recreation staff are looking to council to determine whether to further restrict pickleball play at Glyndon Park.
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommended Action