I appreciated Eric Derman’s letter of June 13 that advocated that six new pickleball courts at Ellerbrook Field be designed compatible to play tennis and pickleball. I would propose going a step further to put the fundraising effort toward the goal of repaving and expanding the JFK Middle School tennis and basketball courts to provide six pickleball/tennis/basketball courts.

There are multiple reasons to support this proposal. It would daily serve a large, multi-generational user population if located at JFK. There could be potential positive interactions with the multi-generational and multi-sport participants. We could reduce the amount of hard-scape/asphalt surface and reduce our negative climate impact by consolidating a court expansion at JFK. The Ellerbrook location would be preserved for a future expansion of sports that require open fields. One disadvantage of the JFK courts is the location further from the center of Northampton, however JFK is located proximate to the bike path. With some careful use of paint colors, easy-change nets, and the addition of some basketball hoops, the courts would be very flexible. Let’s avoid asphalt sprawl and provide new ball courts to as many residents of Northampton as possible by locating a renovated and expanded pickleball, tennis, and basketball court complex at JFK.

Tom Bassett

Florence