Alexandria planners want community input on where to add pickleball courts alongside the Virginia city’s existing outdoor tennis courts.
The parks and recreation commission will hold a public hearing Thursday, Feb. 17, in which residents will be able to voice their thoughts on how officials will spend $20,000 budgeted for expanding pickleball installations.
“The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities requested additional funding in FY 2022 to provide infrastructure and court markings to provide more pickleball courts and improve the level of play for pickleball users,” the city said in a news release.
The commission successfully requested the funding in this year’s budget proposal, noting that “pickleball has increased in popularity in the last several years.”
Tennis courts at Lee Center and Mount Vernon have already undergone the conversion, which involves adding movable nets with new lines for the sport. The new, multiuse courts can then double as either tennis or pickleball facilities.
With the funding already allocated, city officials are now turning to the public for input on which tennis courts should be next.
According to a report, the following courts are candidates:
- Armistead L Boothe Park (four pickleball courts);
- Chambliss Park (four pickleball courts);
- Chinquapin Park (five pickleball courts);
- Eugene Simpson Stadium Park (four pickleball courts);
- Lee Center (four more pickleball courts).
Residents can join a virtual meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday via Zoom.
