Pickleball fans in an upscale suburb have protested after the city hired security to prevent them from using the local tennis courts.
Fairfax County Park Authority workers dismantled pickleball nets during a game at Kendale Woods Park in Annandale, in northeastern Virginia, after four angry players refused to leave the court.
The region attempted to close the courts for maintenance on June 14 while the lines on the tennis courts were re-lined and the courts were labeled tennis-only. There were complaints about noise, but this was an attempt to keep pickleball players out.
But the four-headed women – and one dog – recently staged a sit-in in hopes of overturning the decision.
“It’s kind of a slap in the face to the neighbors that they can’t use the courts the way we want to use them and the way we paid for them,” Marjery Gehan said. WUSA9.
Pickleball fans in an upscale Virginia suburb have staged a protest after the city hired security to prevent them from using their local tennis courts
Four strong-willed women – and a dog – recently staged a sit-in in hopes of reversing the decision to dismantle their pickleball courts and convert them into tennis courts
Fairfax County Park Authority workers dismantled pickleball nets during a game at Kendale Woods Park, prompting protests from some players
Gehan said she filed a warrant requesting an open discussion about the court-ordered move before any changes were made. But Fairfax County Park Authority told WUSA9 that “there was no warrant.”
Angry residents said county workers had removed their nets and scrubbed away stenciled pickleball lines while hiring security to patrol the once-peaceful, idyllic recreation area.
“We stopped the original pressure washers,” Monica Gonzales, 54, told the Washington Post.
“But it was very peaceful. There were no negative words exchanged,” she added.
Other neighbors disagree, claiming that the noise from the courthouse disrupts their daily lives.
“I can hear the playing in the master bedroom with the windows closed. My dog won’t stay in the backyard while they’re playing,” one resident wrote on local news website Annandale Today.
“I feel insulted when people try to minimize the problem,” they said. “I can’t move the building.”
Fairfax County Park Authority workers dismantled pickleball nets during a game at Kendale Woods Park, but four angry female players refused to leave the court
The county attempted to close the courts for maintenance on June 14 while the courts were being resurfaced and signed for tennis amid noise complaints, in an attempt to keep pickleball players out.
Meanwhile, players have hit back by saying they aren’t making much noise, even going so far as to conduct their own decibel level checks with their phones, checking to make sure they’re adhering to the province’s guidelines for acceptable noise levels.
“We don’t want to turn away the person who finds this noise a nuisance,” Sarah Wysocki, 44, a high school teacher and local resident, told the Washington Post.
“It’s how can we work with you to find a compromise? But to be told there is no compromise and this is what it is and to base this decision on one person? That’s a very slippery slope.”
“It’s not us versus them,” Wysocki said, adding that the goal is to find a compromise and reach a peaceful resolution.
However, she added that pickleball players will not adhere to current instructions to leave the court.
“Are you saying we have to go to one of the other 16 courts?” Wysocki said, “I mean, why would we go to another court when our pool is over there? Our houses are here.”
Players have hit back, saying they don’t make much noise, even going so far as to do their own decibel level checks with their phones, checking to make sure they were adhering to the province’s guidelines for acceptable noise levels.
“After careful consideration, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) has decided to proceed with the re-striping and re-signing of the tennis courts at Kendale Woods Park beginning Friday, June 14,” the Park Authority said in a statement.
‘This consultation is the result of cordial and informative discussions with you, members of the neighborhood surrounding Kendale Woods Park and with residents directly adjacent to the park who are affected by it.
“While we appreciate and share your sentiments about Kendale Woods Park, this decision is true to FCPA’s mission to improve the quality of life for all residents of Fairfax County.
‘FCPA appreciates your understanding and encourages you to take advantage of the 16 pickleball courts located within a five-mile radius of Kendale Woods Park.
“We understand this is not the decision you were hoping for, but FCPA is committed to finding other opportunities for pickleball in the immediate area, including the construction of two dedicated pickleball courts one mile away at Mason District Park by 2025.”