A $526,000 improvement project at the Madisonville Park and Playground has left town leaders in a bit of a — ahem — pickle.
The project includes new park lighting, the installation of canvas canopies to provide shade near the splash pad and the replacement of two tennis courts.
The town has the option of converting one of the two tennis courts into a pickleball court, a proposal that surveys show is popular across the region; however, the idea is not favored by those living near the park, including several homes near the area of the park that includes the courts.
The incessant bop, bop, bop sound that occurs when the pickleball paddle strikes the ball can be a grating and disruptive noise. Throughout the country, pickleball courts seem to have rivaled leaf blowers as the top nuisance noise in neighborhoods.
As courts for this fast-growing sport pop up around the country, community squabbles and lawsuits have sometimes followed.
The Madisonville Town Council is keenly aware of the pickleball brouhaha, based on a discussion during the council’s meeting on July 10.
Mayor Jean Pelloat said the town has until July 25 to decide whether to rebuild two tennis courts to replace existing ones or opt for one tennis court and one pickleball. Another alternative would be to create a dual-purpose court with pickleball striping inset on a regular tennis court.
Several people who live near the park urged the council to abandon the pickleball idea. Two council members signaled their desire to go along with the pickleball court opponents.
“I’m not in favor of it,” Councilman Tim Bounds said of the pickleball option. “I believe it’s a decision we will live to regret.”
Councilman Louis Ogle agreed. “I’d love to have pickleball courts somewhere, but not there,” he said.
After further discussion, the council decided to gather more information on the issue before making a final decision at its next meeting on July 24, one day before the deadline to choose.
St. Tammany Parish, along with other areas of the country, has seen a boom in pickleball court construction. Mandeville recently converted tennis courts in the Golden Glenn subdivision into four pickleball courts. Pelican Park has eight courts and plans to build more.
The city of Slidell recently broke ground for 12 new courts at John Slidell Park, and various private clubs have also built pickleball courts in recent years.
The national Sports and Fitness Industry Association reports that 13.6 million Americans tried their hand at pickleball in 2023.
The July 10 council meeting was the first for two new members — Ogle and Kristin Faison — both elected in March and sworn in June 29 along with Bounds, Keith Dennis and Brad Haddox.