People breaking into pickleball courts at a park in Martinez to play during closed hours could cause the courts to close amid complaints from residents that had already prompted the city to reduce the hours and days that people could play there.
The Martinez City Council passed a resolution last week to change the hours for the pickleball courts at the Hidden Valley Sport Courts, located in a residential area across Center Avenue from the larger Hidden Valley Park, after receiving complaints from neighbors, mostly about noise and parking.
The city tried out new hours and rules for the courts over the spring and summer before settling on the times approved last week by the City Council of 4-8 p.m. Tuesdays, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays, with the courts closed for all other days and times.
The changes went into effect Wednesday, but the city said in a post on social media over the weekend that “in less than 24 hours of the new hours in place, we already had incidents of site damage, including unlocked and dismantled gates, and pickleball play during closed hours.”
The city warned, “These incidents not only compromise the safety of the area, they will impact the city’s ability to keep the courts open if they continue.”
Two tennis courts were refurbished in a project funded by federal grant dollars to become eight new pickleball courts that reopened in February and quickly grew popular, but may have been too popular for their own good since the noisier pickleball games and extra visitors to the courts brought complaints from people living nearby.
City officials said they “have been working closely with both players and neighbors to find a solution that respects everyone’s experience.”
Comments on the city’s post to Facebook on Saturday about the recent break-ins questioned the limited hours on only three days of the week for the courts and whether there was enough outreach to neighbors before approving the project.
“These hours are absolutely ridiculous,” one person wrote. “You built something for the community to use and now you aren’t allowing them to use it? How does that make any sense?”
The city said a survey will be sent out soon to people with homes near the park for more feedback and to determine whether further changes are needed, and asked anyone with comments to contact recreation@cityofmartinez.org.
It is always the selfishness of the few that screw it up for the majority. Easy solution since we have cameras everywhere these days identify the actual people responsible for said illegal actions and gasp hold them accountable!!! Even better idea place these community courts in areas that won’t disrupt or disturb the residents!
These are the type of rules you make when you want people to violate rules. It creates a justification for the penalty -;the closure of the courts.
Tax payers funded those courts and they should have access to them.
Not to mention the roar of the crowds at the ubiquitous soccer games and announcers yelling “GOALLLLL!”
Younger crowd ought to avoid good clean fun and be out getting into mischief.
Those hours are ridiculous. Great work council!
The city said a survey will be sent out soon to people with homes near the park for more feedback and to determine whether further changes are needed, and asked anyone with comments to contact recreation@cityofmartinez.org.
Pretty sure I can guess what the responses to this survey will be if they only send it out to people with homes in the area. NIMBY unless they actually play pickleball.
Why should only the people with homes near the park be allowed to give feedback?
Were they the only ones that paid for the courts or did all the residents of Martinez pay?
Those homes were there many years before pickleball. They have a right to enjoy their home and backyard without the constant noise caused by pickleball. . Nobody would want to live next to a pickleball court.
There were homes in Martinez before the freeway and before the refinery and the train station. What about their rights?
Of all things, it seems strange that the city council is bending over backwards to eliminate pickleball. Do they have a hidden agenda?
Does bart have any new fare gates they can spare ? ? ?
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Hold up fingers instead of shouting scores and server number.
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Suggest to window salesperson to try and sell PB haters
triple pane windows.
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City can paint letters on a street, but can’t handle pickleball,
what’s this world coming to ? ? ? ?
Make people reserve a time ahead of time. That way if there are issues with those folks being loud or creating problems, they know who the people are based on the time they are there.
A reservation system would cost more money to create and manage.
Can you imagine if people had to reserve basketball courts in their neighborhood parks? What if your local swing set was closed in the middle of the day? Would people obey?
Taxes have already paid for these courts. Let the people use them.
Pickleball? I had to look it up. I guess for old farts, it’s exercise but then I read how many people get hurt playing it. They stub their toes?