Northampton celebrates start of construction of six pickleball courts at Ray Ellerbrook Field
Published: 10-30-2024 1:53 PM |
NORTHAMPTON — The city broke ground on what will soon be six new pickleball courts at Ray Ellerbrook Field, much to the delight of players of the tennis-like sport that has rapidly grown in popularity over the last several years.
The city held a ceremonial groundbreaking on Tuesday to mark the beginning of the construction of the fields, with the goal of completion by next Memorial Day. One of the shovels used in the groundbreaking was affixed with a pickleball paddle, held by Jennifer Bryan, president of the Friends of Northampton Pickleball Association.
“There are over 600 ‘picklers’ here in Northampton,” Bryan told the Gazette. “It’s been our job to raise the first $50,000 needed to put all of this in motion.”
That money was followed by a $350,000 Community Preservation Act grant approved by the City Council late last year to go toward building the courts. A stretch of grassland near the parking area to Ellerbrook Field was chosen as the site of the courts, which will be lined in a row along the location. They will add to several pickleball courts that already exist in nearby communities in the Pioneer Valley such as Amherst, Easthampton and Holyoke.
Ann-Marie Moggio, director of the Northampton Parks and Recreation Department, told the crowd gathered for the groundbreaking that the first time she heard about pickleball was from an email she received from a colleague in the Department of Public Works in 2014. The colleague had asked about building a pickleball court after seeing a news segment about the sport.
“Then in about 2016, it started to ramp up a lot more. Fast forward to 2019 and there was a ton of interest,” Moggio said. “In 2020 former Mayor [David] Narkewicz sat down with me and said, ‘let’s talk about this pickleball thing.’ That was January 2020, and then we know what happened.”
After a hiatus as a result of the pandemic, the city received a grant for a feasability study, before then determining the location of the courts and the subsequent CPA grant in 2023 to fund the project. Now, construction of that project has become a reality.
Northampton’s current mayor, Gina-Louise Sciarra, also spoke at the groundbreaking ceremony and thanked the Friends of Northampton Pickleball for their fundraising efforts to realize the project.
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“If you want something done, give it to pickleballers,” Sciarra said. “Today’s groundbreaking here celebrates more than a pickleball court. It’s really a testament to the power of community and our shared commitment to vibrant, accessible recreation spaces for everyone in Northampton.”
Once completed, the pickeball courts will provide wheelchair access to the courts, with Bryan even floating the idea of a wheelchair pickleball tournament. The Friends of Northampton Pickleball group is also planning another $50,000 fundraiser to add amenities such as benches, windscreens and water fountains along the courts.
“I’m struck by how much history is here in terms of people who have served in various positions and committees over the years. I do think pickleball is part of a new history like that,” Bryan said. “This sport has brought people together in a pretty unique way, and it’s been an honor to be a part of this project.”
Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.