ARLINGTON, Va. — Arlington County has released the survey results for the controversial Walter Reed Outdoor Court Project. The biggest subject people are fired up about? Pickleball.
Pickleball is a relatively new sport, having been invented in 1965. It involves a badminton-sized court and a slightly modified tennis net. Players then use a paddle and a plastic ball with holes to play.
The game skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. The Arlington Pickleball Club told WUSA9 they now have close to 2,000 members. With the increase in popularity, the demand for more courts also increases.
The Walter Reed Community Center's courts have become a heated topic of discussion in Arlington. Some residents are angry over noise complaints and others are pushing against the plan to repurpose the tennis courts into pickleball courts because they say the sport is just a fad.
The Walter Reed Outdoor Court Project is expected to include nine dedicated pickleball courts, sound reduction measures, seating and shade. The county also wants to create pathways, make ADA access improvements and restripe the basketball court.
Arlington County officials held several pop-up engagements throughout February, which included a survey for people to provide feedback on the project.
On Thursday, that feedback became available, as well as the data surrounding those who took the survey.
A little more than 1,300 people participated in the survey through the online feedback forum and 173 people attended the open house to discuss the project.
Of those who responded, more than 80% were 40 years old or older and just under 75% were white. This aligns with the US Census for race and ethnicity for Arlington, with 74% of people living in the county being white.
While 40% of respondents said they lived in the area, just under half said they play pickleball.
The survey asked people when they were most likely to play, and it appears the busiest times of day during the week to play are early evenings between 5 and 7 p.m. and mid-morning between 9 and 11 a.m. on the weekends.
Of the 608 open-ended comments, many suggested several ways to help mitigate the sound issues, such as reducing the hours people may use the courts, using plants to muffle the sound or simply moving the courts somewhere else.
The county also released 89 pages of comments surrounding the project, with some in favor of the courts and others pushing back for various reasons.
"I live a mile from the Lubber Run pickleball courts, and I work from home. Even with my windows closed, I hear the pickleball pop all day and night (until the courts are closed)," said one participant. "I love pickleball, but I do not want to hear it. The pop is loud and incessant."
Another commenter defended the project, calling those who were against it pickleball-obsessed bullies.
"I have lived in Arlington a long time and am well aware of the entitled element who lives here. Do not capitulate to these pickleball obsessed bullies," the comment reads. "Be mindful of the people whose homes are their biggest investment and whose quality of life has been turned upside down by the pickleball fad."
Some said the idea to convert tennis courts was short-sighted, calling pickle-ball a fad that will fade with time.
"I'd like the County to consider that while this sport is wildly popular, it is also a fad, and that by the time the new courts are made, the fad may be over, and a new fad may have taken hold."
Turf battles between Team Tennis and Team Pickleball. the good folks at the Late Show with Stephen Colbert are weighing in on the matter.
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