The town’s new pickleball courts at Bittner Park are completed and ready for use, and just in time. The sport is rapidly gaining popularity across the shoreline and local players are eager for places to play. Parks and Recreation Director Rick Maynard said that the original opening date of October first was moved up as construction on the courts finished last week and Grand Opening of the courts is now scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m.

The courts have been in progress for several years. Originally, they were destined for a site at Adams Middle School. According to Maynard, after approval of the Adams site, testing revealed that the ground was unsuitable for the design. After another round of approvals, the site at Bittner was chosen.

For those in the know, pickleball, a variation of tennis, badminton, and a slight dose of ping pong, has become a favored way to exercise and have fun with friends and family. The game has several origin stories (visit Zip06.com for a complete overview of the game’s history linked to this story), but regardless of who invented or popularized the past time, it has taken root in numerous communities due to the ease of play and the fun it generates.

Maynard said that the courts will be a huge addition to Bittner’s renovation on its north side section, which now also includes the skate/bike park, tennis courts, and the disc golf course. The pickleball area will now have four dedicated and permanent pickleball courts, and also the ability to add two more at the tennis courts for tournaments and fundraisers.

“The paint is all down, the nets are up, and the courts are now open for use by anyone,” said Maynard.

Maynard said there were a few minor setbacks since construction began at Bittner mostly due to weather, but that everything moved smoothly and the courts actually opened slightly ahead of schedule despite the previous delays.

“The recent rain caused some major erosion up there, but the company fixed that quickly. It set back stuff a little, but you can’t control the weather and Hinding (the local company doing the construction) has done a great job keeping on schedule,” said Maynard.

Tom Hinding of Hinding Tennis, LLC, said his company has been deluged with requests for courts and information on the game and how they can get a court.

“This is the fastest growing sport in America right now. I have never seen any sport grow so quickly in all my years in business. Two-thirds of the calls we get have something to do with pickleball,” said Hinding.

According to Maynard, there will be a Grand Opening Ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 12 at 2 p.m. at the Bittner courts to let residents know of the courts availability and introduce the game to the town. Maynard said the site will be able to accommodate tournaments and fundraisers in the future.

“We are very excited for Bittner Park. Pickleball has really become huge in the last 8 to 10 years and I’m sure the courts will get heavy use. The courts will be open to all, in fact we have more than 120 seniors who are already playing the game,” Maynard said.

Local pickleball enthusiast Stephani Blaha said that the game has become a favorite way for residents to socialize and to enjoy the last rays of the season.

“It’s so easy to learn. It takes a little time to understand rules and positions, but it is really fun. It has become really popular with folks who used to play tennis, but may not be able to perform on a full court. The smaller courts are easier to navigate and are just as fun and challenging,” said Blaha.