A heated public meeting on Tuesday night (Dec. 10, 2024) led to a surprising decision by the Normandy Park City Council – despite previous approval, the council unanimously voted to rescind plans for a new pickleball court near city hall.

The reversal came after a wave of opposition from local residents who expressed concerns about noise pollution.

No Pickleball Courts

The public showed up in droves at this meeting, with several prepared and well-researched statements against installing a new sports court near City Hall. Neighbors said it would be the end of their quiet neighborhood, and possibly their sanity. They also said it would break the city’s own noise ordinance. Many were angry that they had heard nothing about said pickleball courts until after the council approved the bid to build them, at last month’s meeting.

During November’s meeting, Council only gave approval for the bid if the entire neighborhood was immediately notified in person, so that they could rescind approval if issues arose. Council had been pressured to approve the bid quickly, as it was paired with other park improvements and needed to be sent out. After hearing from the public, Council unanimously rescinded approval to build the pickleball courts, with no plans to discuss them in the future.

The plan for the courts originally came from a survey that was available online and by mail, in which respondents overwhelmingly favored pickleball courts in Normandy Park. As public commenters pointed out, the 109 respondents in favor of pickleball makes up only 1% of city residents. In addition, they argued that there are ways to spend $400,000 that won’t negatively impact the lives of so many.

People asked that the money instead be used for increased public safety measures, including leveling walkways to remove tripping hazards. The existing basketball court could be covered, enabling utilization in wet weather. They said if people want to play pickleball, they can go to The Cove.

Councilmember Mike Bishoff expressed exasperation because the city has been conducting outreach in the community and talking about putting in a sports court for years, based on survey results and what they truly believed the community wanted. He felt citizens had every opportunity to make their voices heard via email, public comments, and personal conversations. The fact that they waited until it had already passed, and were then irate about it, was frustrating to Bishoff.

City Manager Amy Arrington said if people want to stay abreast of local government affairs, they should sign up on the city website to receive a weekly email. There is a sign-up for Normandy Park news & updates at this link. In addition, follow this link for Arrington’s City Manager Report. Members of the council can also be directly emailed, and several encouraged residents to do so. Contact information is available in their bios.

Councilmember Susan West said she would never support building pickleball courts, or anything else that would impinge on the lives of Normandy Parks residents and pets. She said there was just no need for them.

Councilmember Shawn MacAvoy said he still supports the full recreational facility that was discussed years ago, where indoor pickleball could be played quietly. However, the building of this fully-indoor recreation center faces the obstacle of requiring massive funding.

Winterfest a Success

Councilmember West shared that Winterfest was a huge success, bringing people from all over the region together to celebrate the season. The event included many happy festivities, including presenting a Key to the City to Santa Claus. West said there was a decoration exchange where families could bring extra holiday decorations and anyone who wanted them could help themselves. Councilmember West added that work on Winterfest 2025 is likely to begin as early as next month, for anyone who wants to take part in the planning.