City of Woodland celebrates the completion of new pickleball courts
After a few years of planning and then developing, avid pickleball players now have a beautiful new place to play the game. On a cool Tuesday morning, city of Woodland officials, local residents and Woodland Area Pickleball Association members converg…
After a few years of planning and then developing, avid pickleball players now have a beautiful new place to play the game.
On a cool Tuesday morning, city of Woodland officials, local residents and Woodland Area Pickleball Association members converged at Crawford Park, located at 1733 College St., for a celebratory ribbon-cutting commemorating the completion of brand new pickleball courts.
Among the dozens of eager pickleball players in attendance were City Manager Ken Hiatt, Community Services Director Christine Engel, Mayor Tania Garcia-Cadena, City Councilmembers Tom Stallard and Vicky Fernandez, Woodland Area Pickleball Association President Joshua DeGeorge, and Treasurer Bruce Jacks, among many others.
Engel led off the festivities by saying a few words before handing off the microphone to DeGeorge and a few others. Afterward, everyone in attendance raced onto the courts to break them in and get in as many games as possible before the sweltering summer heat returned.
"I would say this project coming to fruition and seeing the benefit of everyone playing here, the relationships that are going to be formed and the exercise they are going to get is fantastic," Engel said. "The great thing is that these are pickleball-exclusive courts, the only exclusive courts in Woodland. This makes the sport more open to the residents of the community since they don't have to bring a net. It's one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States, and we are glad to provide our residents with additional recreational opportunities."
Construction began in early April 2024 and consisted of demolishing the old tennis courts, lights and fencing, followed by the construction of six dedicated pickleball courts. The new courts are located in the southern area of the park and consist of poles for permanent pickleball nets, new chain link fencing to surround them, four-foot fencing to divide each court and new energy-efficient lighting for nighttime play.
"It's a dream come true to be here, honestly," DeGeorge said after playing a quick game. "To have this quality of courts in Woodland is phenomenal. I think it is a great opportunity to spread pickleball. One of the biggest things about the new courts is accessibility.
"In order to play, you have to have access to a net, and you don't want to buy a net unless you have already played. It's like putting the cart before the horse, but now that we have these courts, all that people will need are inexpensive paddles and a ball, and we are happy to provide them if needed."
Before the courts at Crawford Park, pickleball enthusiasts had to trek over to Beamer Park, Spring Lake Park or Rick Gonzales Senior Park. While the courts were more than adequate, nets were not provided, leaving players with the responsibility of bringing their own nets.
"This could not have been done without the city of Woodland," DeGeorge said. "They did this. We helped steer the ship, but they sailed it."
Beamer Park figures to continue housing games and even WAPA lessons.
If interested in playing or learning more about the game, DeGeorge encourages people to visit woodlandpickleball.com.
"That's where we are posing all of our calendar events, opportunities for people to learn how to play at Beamer Park and ways to connect with the community," he said. "Any questions they have they can reach out to us on there."
In February, the City Council approved a $442,412 construction contract with Western Engineering Contractor's Inc. for the restoration project.
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