Pickle Ball Petition Seeks Replacement of Outdated Surface

A few years ago when Teresa Chang started to play the game of pickle ball in Somers, she said, the tennis courts at Reis Park weren’t getting a lot of use from residents. Even so, people started to notice a small group playing this mix of tennis, ping pong and badminton, and now there are about 300 players in the town. Unfortunately, there are issues with the current surface, and in an effort for an upgrade, Chang has put the ball in the town’s center court.

An online petition is in play and she hopes the town will resurface the courts that both impede play and can be perilous to the players.

A plastic lego like surface was installed at the outset, and the biggest problem takes place after any amount of rain falls or with the early morning dew. “It’s very slippery and very dangerous,” said Chang, and the town could be left liable with the potential for injury, she added.

The heat also causes problems on the worn out surface. “There's a lifting of the plastic that can be a tripping hazard,” Chang clarified the anomoly.

As for the level of play, the overall experience for the participants is without a doubt a subpar one. There are numerous dead spots scattered about and areas where the ball skips. This is due to a surface that really isn’t right the one, and the broken up concrete below the plastic legos is no help either.

As a result, many of the players pickle ball up in other nearby towns, where the courts are a much better quality. “We want to be able to play in our town,” Chang counters.

In response, Chang claims the town of Somers prefers another solution. There’s an 11 acre parcel of land behind the current courts that the town would like to use instead. Waiting for an official transfer from the county, the town wants to put the new courts there, says Chang, who is the USA Pickle Ball Ambassador for Somers.

A decision is coming in August on the parcel of land, and while a postive response is welcome, the next step means more delays. “We don’t want to wait another three years,” she conveyed the timeline from the town.

Of course, the upgrade in question is not free. Waiting for the quote on the standard tennis court surface needed, she estimates a price tag that will run between $75,000 and $100,000.

Now, the financial burden is not one the players expect the town to bear all by itself. “We are more than willing to do what we need to do, but the town has to be willing to go through the proposals,” she implores. “We’re not going to raise the money, and then the town doesn’t do anything about the situation.”

At the same time, there is an element of the game itself that will help cover the cost of replacement, according to Chang. The certified pickle ball instructor and referee says that the poor conditions has Somers losing out on hosting tournaments and sponsoring leagues.

Either way, the upgrade of the surface will not just benefit the players. “It will definitely increase the value of houses when you can say, this town has top notch pickle ball courts,” said Chang.

A pretty strong argument and the courts always full, the game makes the best case for signing the petition. “If you come to play pickle ball, you will really be hooked,” she concluded.

To view the petition, click here

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Aug 9