ANNANDALE, Va. — Four pickleball regulars at Kendale Woods Park found their Friday morning match interrupted by workers from Fairfax County Park Authority, who were trying to close the pickleball courts down for maintenance.
The four ladies refused to leave and showed us pictures of the workers taking down the pickleball nets in the middle of the match. Then, they staged a sit-in, so the workers couldn't reline the courts for tennis only.
Last Friday, the Park Authority announced it would reline the courts with the following statement to the community:
After careful consideration, the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA) has made the decision to move forward with relining and signing the courts at Kendale Woods Park for tennis only, beginning Friday, June 14th.
This deliberation comes after welcomed and informative conversations with you, members of the neighborhood surrounding Kendale Woods Park, and with residents directly adjacent to the park who are impacted. While we appreciate and share your sentiments for Kendale Woods Park, this decision is true to FCPA’s mission to enrich the quality of life for all members of Fairfax County. FCPA is appreciative of receiving your understanding and encourage you to make use of the 16 pickleball courts located within five miles of Kendale Woods Park.
We understand this is not the decision you were hoping for, but FCPA is committed to finding other opportunities for pickleball in the immediate area, including the installation of two dedicated pickleball courts a mile away at Mason District Park in 2025.
The Park Authority cited noise complaints as the reason for reverting the courts to tennis only.
But Marjery Gehan, who was part of the sit-in, said the Park Authority didn't take the entire community's input into consideration. So she, along with three other pickleball enthusiasts, said they filed an injunction to make sure everyone's voice was heard before any actual changes are made to the courts.
"It's kind of a slap in the face to the neighbors to not be able to use the courts the way we want to use them and how we paid for it," she explained.
She said they plan to continue to sit-in on the courts on Saturday too.
WUSA9 reached out to the Fairfax County Park Authority. A spokesman tells us, "there was no injunction."