Jacksonville Review – June 2023 issue

The Mayor and City Council are again facing the pickleball controversy in our town. In March, they voted to prohibit pickleball on Sunday and to limit the hours of play on the other days. This compromise did not placate the small group of neighbors; it only strengthened their resolve to ban pickleball from Pheasant Meadows Park. The Council and Mayor will soon decide whether to reduce the number of pickleball courts from four to two. The questions are, “Why is the City reducing the number of pickleball courts? What evidence or documentation of substantial problems does the City have to justify such an action?

Despite overwhelming support for pickleball that the Mayor and Councilors are aware of, to my knowledge not a single pickleball player from the dozens that play every week was consulted on the recent city staff report that recommended reducing the courts from four to two.

I have met and played with recent widows and widowers, with new residents, with players young and old, with beginners to very skilled players who come to Pheasant Meadows for socialization and pickleball. I talked with two of the many pickleball players in town who want to keep four courts.

Kris Rose, a Jacksonville homeowner and one of the original pickleball players at Pheasant Meadows exclaims, “I was diagnosed with osteoporosis and put on medication; after starting pickleball I was able to stop my medication and my bone density improved immensely!”

Jerry Hayes of Bella Union says, “As a long-time business owner in Jacksonville and current Executive Board Member of the Chamber of Commerce, endorsing pickleball in Jacksonville fits in with an image of a vibrant small town with many outdoor activity opportunities like dog walking, trail hiking and our Britt Festival. An activity like pickleball that integrates with a healthy, outdoor lifestyle and appeals to visitors from out of the area who spend money with our local merchants and stay in our B&Bs should be encouraged.”

The Mayor and City Council should know that a wide cross section of Jacksonville supports keeping the four courts at Pheasant Meadows.