ANNANDALE, Va. — Ten days after a group of residents held a sit-in at a park to stop crews from removing the pickleball courts, the painting effort to reline the courts began again.
On June 14, four pickleball regulars at Kendale Woods Park were playing when their match was interrupted by workers from Fairfax County Park Authority, who were trying to close the pickleball courts down for maintenance. The four women refused to leave and showed WUSA9 pictures of the workers taking down the pickleball nets in the middle of their match. Then, they staged a sit-in, so the workers couldn't reline the courts for tennis only.
The Park Authority cited noise complaints as the reason for reverting the courts to tennis only.
In a statement to WUSA9, the park authority said officials agreed to pause the relining work after members of the community asked to meet before a judge and discuss the matter. But when that time came, the park authority says no one showed up.
"On Friday, June 21, the Park Authority had representation present at the appointed time; however, no members of the community were in attendance," a spokesperson with the Fairfax County Park Authority said.
Ten days after the sit-in, the relining effort began again Monday with a security guard on the court.
The park authority said the county security was arranged after staff endured "verbally abusive language" from residents when they originally tried to reline the courts.
"We felt this a reasonable precaution given the initial experience and our desire to ensure that our staff could fulfill their assignment in a peaceful, orderly fashion," the park authority said.
Residents deny the claim that they were verbally abusive.
"The security guard is a real waste of taxpayer's money, especially since it was already locked," community member Deborah Burke told WUSA9. "I mean I know we have a lot of abusive thoughts but most of the people that I know who play pickleball are very good people."
"I think the county is being unreasonable in the way that they're handling this," resident Bill O'Neill said. "Pickleball is a wonderful way for the community to get together. It's quite upsetting. We worked so hard to get here and now it's all gone."
Despite the challenges, the park authority says pickleball players are still welcome to use the 16 other pickleball courts located within 5 miles of Kendale Woods Park. The Fairfax County Park Authority is also installing two dedicated pickleball courts just a mile away at Mason District Park, which should be open in some time next year.
In a previous statement, the county said, "While we appreciate and share the community’s 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."
Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you. Tell us about it by emailing newstips@wusa9.com.
MORE WAYS TO GET WUSA9
DOWNLOAD THE WUSA9 APP
Apple App Store: WUSA9 News on Apple
Google Play Store: WUSA9 News on Android
HOW TO ADD THE FREE WUSA9+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WUSA9.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "WUSA9" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
SIGN UP TO RECEIVE WUSA9 NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to our daily WUSA9 Newsletter for top stories from WUSA9 curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Commanders content, weather, and more delivered right to your inbox.