OCEAN CITY — In an effort to appease residents, the Town of Ocean City’s recreation committee endorsed this week an option that will allow for just one new pickle ball court at a north-end public park.
Earlier this year, the town was awarded a grant from the state’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to construct two pickle ball courts at Gorman Park in the north end near 136th Street. The $115,000 grant will cover the cost of the new courts for pickle ball, a hybrid of tennis that has become increasingly popular in the resort and beyond.
However, there was some pushback from the neighbors adjacent to Gorman Park against the proposed pickle ball courts for a variety of reasons. Some questioned the potential noise of the sport in the otherwise quiet north-end park, while others raised concerns even more impervious surface in Gorman Park would contribute to the chronic flooding issues in the neighborhood. Still others voiced concern adding two 60-foot by 60-foot pickle ball courts would absorb much of the park’s green open spaces and might come at the expense of some stately willow trees.
For the last few months, the Recreation and Parks Committee has been wrestling with a solution for the location of a new pickle ball court in Gorman Park and laid out several options on Tuesday in a rare meeting actually held in an open-air pavilion in the park that allowed committee members to see the potential locations in person and not on a blueprint or drawing. In addition, park-area residents were allowed to weigh in on the discussion.
One of the options, which was quickly taken off the table, called for installing the two pickle ball courts on a vast open, green grass section at the west end of the park. That option was eliminated because of its impact on the open green spaces used by children and other park visitors.
The second and preferred option called for reconfiguring an existing three-sided, open-ended cinder block racquetball court that is also a popular amenity in the park, allowing the new pickle ball court to be installed in an area adjacent to the existing tennis court. That option would accomplish the goals of leaving alone the open green space and placing one pickle ball court adjacent to the tennis court while preserving the stately willow trees so prevalent in the park.
The third option called for expanding the hard surface of the existing tennis court by 18 feet to one side and 12 feet to the other side, but that option would move the courts closer to residences on the east side of the park. The third option would bring the total cost of the project in over the DNR’s $115,000 grant and would require some expense for the town. After considerable debate, the Recreation and Parks Committee voted to send a favorable recommendation to the Mayor and Council for the second option, which would include one new pickle ball court while realigning the racquetball court and preserving the open green spaces including the willows. Committee members voted for the second option after taking a straw poll of sorts of the residents in the area who attended the meeting.
“I think the second option represents the best possible scenario,” said Council President and committee member Lloyd Martin. “We can realign the racquetball court and make it more aesthetically appealing and we can get as much recreational activity in the park as possible while preserving the open space and those trees. I think this will work well for everybody.”
Councilman and committee chair Wayne Hartman thanked the local residents for their cooperation in what was at times a rather heated debate.
“Things have changed since this whole thing started,” he said. “I hope you feel like we’re listening to you because that’s what happened with this one. Thank you for your participation.”
