A week and a half ago, we reported that Seattle Parks had changed its mind about adding pickleball stripes to three of the six tennis courts at Solstice Park. Instead, Parks said, it would create a pickleball-only area at nearby Lincoln Park.
So far that’s not going over well with either pickleball players or wildlife advocates.
First, we asked Parks for more information on the plan and the timing. Spokesperson Rachel Schulkin said the site would be the decommissioned ex-tennis courts in the upper park. “The Lincoln plan creates 6 dedicated courts at this location made from an asphalt overlay, with installation set to conclude at the end of Fall 2023. Next, we will evaluate the feasibility of lights at this location.”
West Seattle wildlife biologist/advocate Kersti Muul says she’s helping organize opposition, and explains:
I am requesting the city provide further information regarding the proposed pickleball courts in Lincoln Park. Including that which reflects poorly on the city; not informing the public or providing opportunity for public comment, and bending to a niche voice. This has resulted in another poor idea from the city as it further marginalizes park wildlife inhabitants and will severely impact how people and wildlife use and enjoy the park. I was consulted on, and have begun the process of opposition based on environmental, public, and mental health concerns.
Lincoln Park needs to remain as natural as possible. It already shares its greenspace with many picnic areas, playgrounds, sports fields, two pools, heavily traversed outer paths and quieter inner [unmaintained] paths and, unfortunately, lots of off-leash dogs. Pickleball courts are loud with sustained and repetitive noise. Saturday I measured decibels at the Highpoint courts and at times it was over 80. They are also bright. Light pollution is detrimental to wildlife as well as public health. I am providing (much like the dog park opposition, and lots of crossover) extensive ecological and biological knowledge as well as an intimate understanding of the complexities of species interactions within the park habitat, with humans, and with each other, and how this type of disruption will impact them. Basically, I am outlining why this is a bad idea. I am encouraging folks to reach out to the city via email, and guiding them on comments. There is a lot of opposition.
You can contact her at kersti.e.muul@gmail.com. Meantime, pickleball advocates/players aren’t thrilled either. They want the city to keep its original commitment of adding stripes to half the courts at Solstice Park. The Seattle Metro Pickleball Association has started an online petition, with this explanation, saying, among other things, it’s an efficient use of the courts:
… West Seattle pickleball players need lighted courts for the short winter days. We play outdoor year round. We squeegee rain, snow, and even hail to clear the courts to play. Tennis is not played at all when the courts are wet. The 6 to-be-resurfaced Solstice tennis courts with new LED lights will be mostly empty for months.
We can only guess what happened. The most likely scenario is that some tennis players were not happy to share three of their six courts with pickleball players and successfully convinced Seattle Parks to reverse course. … The Solstice courts are scheduled to be resurfaced and the work can start any day.
Transparency: Seattle Parks need to explain the decision process that led them to reverse their decision to paint pickleball court lines on three of the six Solstice Parks tennis courts, and to explain why pickleball players were not involved in this process.
Reversal: Seattle Parks need to follow through and deliver the 6 pickleball courts at Solstice Park.
The pickleball group says they had no notice that the city was even thinking about reversing a decision they say was made seven months ago. Their petition is here. The city’s announcement a week ago said that the idea of Lincoln Park had been floated in previous discussions of the city’s Outdoor Pickleball Study, though that ultimately called for a pickleball-only facility at Hiawatha (we don’t yet know how or whether the Lincoln Park plan will affect that).
Interesting side note: only one of the two notice boards along the Fauntleroy park entrances had the fliers posted. These are where respectful park patrons pin notices.
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