If you thought the Kendale Woods pickleball conflict was over when the Park Authority relined the courts for tennis only, think again.
The Broyhill Crest pickleball players are still fighting for the chance to play the sport at their neighborhood courts.
They are in the process of hiring legal counsel to help them advance their argument that the Park Authority didn’t follow its own guidelines and policies when it banned pickleball from Kendale Woods Park.
“This seems like it should be simple enough to answer, yet nobody can provide any insight into this,” wrote pickleball player Sarah Wysocki on the group’s petition.
Related story: Park Authority removes pickleball from Annandale park
Wysocki wants answers to these questions, too: “Why was taking something of value away from the community such a high priority for FCPA? When is it okay to go against the wishes of an entire community because of one person? Is it okay for someone who has publicly stated that making one person listen to pickleball noise is unethical to be running FCPA?”
“A one-person stance on anything is dangerous and a mighty slippery slope and certainly shouldn’t be dictating decisions for communities,” she says.
Mason Supervisor Andres Jimenez scheduled a meeting with the pickleball players on July 18 at 1:30 p.m.
That’s after Jimenez agreed verbally on July 4 to meet with the group, then sent an email on July 8 stating “The Park Authority is a separate legal entity governed by its own board that sets policies and makes decisions about park operations. Because of the Park Authority’s oversight here as well as the pending litigation, I’m unable to arrange a meeting.”
Then, as the pickleball controversy got reported in multiple news outlets, including the London-based Daily Mail, Jimenez apparently changed his mind.
His staff sent an email to the pickleball players inviting them to his office on Thursday. “The Supervisor hopes we can schedule a meeting sooner rather than later given the importance of the matter and it being a priority of his,” the message states.
Wysocki notes that the media coverage has gotten a lot of things wrong. “There seems to be a desire to turn our court battle into a tennis vs. pickleball squabble, which has never been the case,” she says.
Related story: London-based tabloid picks up story on Annandale pickleball conflict
Many media outlets also reported that there have been multiple noise complaints. “That is inaccurate,” she says. One noise complaint was filed in 2022, “and that was enough for FCPA to bypass all guidelines and established policies and work at Mach speed to convert our shared use space to tennis only.”
The Park Authority relined the Kendale Woods courts for pickleball before it established guidelines recommending pickleball courts to be at least 250 feet from homes.
The Kendale Woods courts might not be the only ones that could be converted to tennis only.
An FCPA presentation to the Park Authority Board in February on “Sport Court Updates” says there are 17 parks in the county that have pickleball courts less than 250 feet from residents. That includes Roundtree, Spring Lane, and Lillian Carey in Mason District, as well as Kendale Woods Park.
That report recommends new pickleball courts be located at least 250 away from residential properties, or 200 feet if there is a buffer with trees or a significant change in topography.
“Existing pickleball that is within 250 feet from residential properties shall remain, provided there are no noise complaints,” the report recommends. “Should there be noise complaints, sound mitigation measures should be considered or the pickleball moved to a more appropriate park.”
