KENT, Conn.—Pickleball has taken the town by storm and resident Bruce Hoheb is urging the Parks and Recreation Commission to build more courts.
Hoheb appeared at the commission’s Wednesday, Sept. 3, meeting to make his plea for dedicated pickleball courts on public land, possibly in Emery Park.
He said the sport has “exploded in popularity and participation” in Kent, so much so that access to the town’s improvised courts at the town’s tennis courts has become a matter of contention.
“We’re finding there is an onslaught of students and their families who love to use that park and we find ourselves at cross-purposes,” he said. “It’s not big enough to accommodate all the people with the number of people who want to play pickleball, especially older people who are not limited by time and can play anytime of the week.”
He said there are 77 people in a pickleball club and, “last week alone, five new people joined up. It’s astounding.” The competition for court time in area towns has become so intense, “our police person [who is a resident of Sherman] had to step in while off duty to prevent two people from going at fisticuffs [in that town].”
He noted the altruism of the many residents who contribute to making the town more pleasant for its residents and said he is sure that through grants and donations two courts could be created at no cost to the taxpayers.
He is not familiar with all the land the town owns but said that in looking for potential sites he identified a portion of the lawn at Emery Park that is flat enough and large enough to accommodate two courts.
“There is a beautiful little flat spot,” he said. “It would be quiet, it wouldn’t interfere with [natural water flow], there is an existing pool where kids could play for an hour while their parents had a game, and there is ample parking for eight to 10 cars.”
He said the spot he located is shaded but would not require removing trees. “Emery Park has everything in place,” he asserted.
Putting courts at Emery Park would increase use of the property, he said, and might make taxpayers more favorable to restoring the town swimming pool. If donations and grants fell short of construction costs—which he estimated at $200,000 to $250,000—he believes people would pay a yearly access fee.
“People need this kind of exercise,” he argued, “especially older people. We’re not all just sitting around on swings.”
Hoheb and his wife, Susan Menconi, have assisted in other fundraising programs by letting their beautiful home be used for elegant soirees. He said they would be willing to do it again to help in the construction of the courts.
In addition, he said he would donate funds personally but, as a veteran of the construction industry, he doesn’t want the money frittered away for a feasibility study. “I don’t want to see a horse become a giraffe,” he said.
He claimed that the town’s current tennis courts, which have lines overpainted to designate pickleball courts, “are an abomination.”
Commission member Claire Love said courts “seem like a wonderful thing to encourage in town,” and wondered if they could be incorporated in the recreational center being discussed for the new housing development off Kent Green.
Hoheb said that pickleball can be played outdoors for six or more months a year and he was not sure that the additional expense of building inside courts would be worth it.
Miranda Lovato, who serves on the Emery Park subcommittee, said she needs guidance as to what land might be available in town. The subcommittee has proposed building a pavilion on the site Hoheb selected.
“It’s definitely worth having a deeper discussion,” said Lovato, and the group decided to dedicate a meeting specifically to the discussion. “As a commission, we would be remiss not to do that,” said Parks and Rec Chairman Rufus P. deRham. “The popularity of this sport has really taken hold, and we will have to seriously look at it. The key thing will be the land.”
deRham said the town owns little property and the discussion turned to the possibility of a cooperative agreement with the Kent Land Trust.
Turning their attention to a different topic, Recreation Department Director Matt Busse asked members to contemplate ways the town might change staffing for after school and other programs and to be prepared to discuss the issue in October.
He said it is a challenge to retain employees because the job entails so few employee hours, even though the overall programs are growing.
There has been interest in resuming senior bus trips to points of local interest and he is planning one in October to visit the Museum of Tort Law in Winsted as a beginning effort.
