Natural Resources Commission Chair Michael D’Ortenzio said in introducing Article 24 Motion 1 at Wellesley Annual Town Meeting on Tuesday that “we are looking forward to a robust discussion and looking forward to your direction.” That’s exactly what the NRC and the Board of Public Works (the motion sponsor) got over the next two hours about the pros and cons of using $1.2M to undertake an overdue refurbishing of the Hunnewell courts while also reconfiguring them to support tennis and pickleball.
(See the full Wellesley Media recording for the April 8 session.)
Article 24: Reimagining the Hunnewell courts
The plan outlined in the original motion under Article 24 from the Board of Public works, and supported by the NRC and Recreation Commission, was to replace one of eight tennis courts with three pickleball courts, plus make another available on the practice wall surface. This would provide a dedicated outdoor pickleball resource considered by town officials to be less offensive to neighbors bothered by the noise from pickleballs being whacked on other outdoor courts in town. It would also cost significantly less than building new dedicated pickleball courts elsewhere, if a location could even be found.
Wellesley has seen increased demand for outdoor pickleball use, with 25% of court reservations now for pickleball, per the NRC’s Jay McHale. Different views were shared on the likelihood of pickleball eventually becoming a fall varsity sport at Wellesley high—Athletic Director John Brown said he has not been approached about establishing a team but that any such development would be “a ways away” (there is a non-Wellesley pilot program underway with an eye toward making pickleball a varsity sport through the MIAA).
The Wellesley pickleball community, which has seen its outdoor venues disappear one by one, supported this approach, especially in light of alternative locations, such as the Morses Pond parking lot, meeting resistance from neighbors and users of the beach and surrounding trails. Pickleball players have used Hunnewell courts over the past year with temporary lines on them and without hearing any significant number of neighbor complaints.
The School Department recently held its nose in going along with the plan to reduce tennis courts from eight to seven, in the spirit of compromise. But the high school tennis coaches said the change would likely result in the need to cut the number of players from the teams, and players and their parents began rallying to fight the plan ahead of Town Meeting.
Right after the NRC’s McHale went over the pros and cons of the proposed redesign and reuse of the Hunnewell courts, Town Meeting member Kourosh Farboodmanesh, a Wellesley High School student with his ear to the ground there, proposed an amendment to Article 24. His motion was to permanently line courts seven and eight for pickleball and tennis, which would allow the tennis team to continue using all the courts during their season (he pointed out that the Sprague and Darcey fields are lined for multiple sports). Courts seven and eight would be used for four pickleball courts for the rest of the year, along with a fifth court at the practice wall.
“Earlier today in the presentation you heard from the NRC that their goal is to address the needs of the entire town,” he said. “This proposed amendment allows us as a body to do so by allowing the use for both pickleball and tennis players…”
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The NRC held a vote this week and stuck by its original plan, with McHale explaining that “shared use spaces continuously never worked in our town.” The Advisory Committee (an appointed body that vets motions ahead of, or during, Town Meeting) voted unfavorable action 12-0 on the amendment. Linda Chow, chair of the School Committee, also said that body met ahead of Town Meeting on Tuesday and she issued a statement of support for the amendment.
Town Meeting members shared their thoughts on the amended motion and asked clarifying questions, including about the math regarding how losing one tennis court might result in a 25% reduction in tennis team members (it has to do with the seven courts then being split 4-3, alternatively, by the boys and girls teams on practice days). Some encouraged the school system to think creatively about logistics if the number of courts were reduced, from using other courts in town to expanding practice hours.
Town Meeting member Tom Taylor, whose children played tennis on the Wellesley High team years ago, was among those speaking in support of the amended motion. He said: “I think an ‘and’ solution rather than an ‘either/or’ solution is definitely the way to go.”
Also speaking in support was Wellesley High tennis player Yaniv Taussky, who said “this would effectively be maximizing the space.” He also shouted out the reigning state champion Wellesley High girls’ tennis team.
Speaking against the amended motion was Danna Greenberg, co-lead of Wellesley Community Pickleball. “These are two wonderful racket activities, with equal players, equal health, and equal community benefits,” she said, while pointing to the current disparity in available outdoor courts for tennis vs. pickleball.
Ashley Quates (fresh off surgery that day from a pickleball injury) spoke initially against the motion to amend, but later spoke in favor of the amended main motion in an effort to encourage Wellesley to allow more people to enjoy outdoor activities and to stop saying “no” (lights, noise, etc.) to everything.
Other issues raised by speakers included surveying Hunnewell court neighbors about the plan, ensuring that soundproofing is used given likely more intense use of the courts by pickleball players, and the possible impact on kids at the adjacent playground.
Town Meeting passed the motion to amend by a count of 107/93/1, then discussion and debate continued on the amended main motion. The amended main motion passed 166/27/4.
Beyond tennis and pickleball
Other articles addressed on night #4:
- DPW Director David Cohen provided an update on Article 20 Motion 1 to ask Town Meeting for $5.1M (rather than the original $4M, based on current bids in hand) to rehab Weston Road. The topic has elicited passionate discussion in meetings ahead of Town Meeting, with concerns raised about both pedestrian cyclist safety, but sparked little discussion on Tuesday night. Cohen did say that the town will continue to look at alternatives to granite curbing at parts of the stretch of Weston Road between Rte. 9 and the Weston town line, as numerous cyclists have come out against such material as a hazard to them and fellow cyclists. Town Meeting approved the motion 190 to 1.
- The Board of Public Works asked Town Meeting to appropriate $2M for playground rehabs at Fiske Elementary School, Oullet Park, and the former Upham Elementary School. One Town Meeting member asked whether any consideration might be given to making any of the playground upgrades community projects as was done at Hunnewell many years ago (Cohen said he’d look into it). Article 22 passed by voice vote.
- Town Meeting wasn’t all fun and games. Also on the agenda: PFAS (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), those forever chemicals that Wellesley and other communities have been attempting to filter from its drinking water. Town Meeting unanimously supported borrowing up to $1.34M for permanent and temporary treatment solutions. This would include shifting from a temporary to permanent solution at Morses Pond, where the temporary system has proven effective at ridding Wellesley’s drinking water of PFAS, Cohen said.
- Up next, on Monday, April 14, will be Article 28, regarding a tax relief exemption for eligible veterans.
More:
- Town Meeting begins
- Wellesley Annual Town Meeting night #2: School budget stays bundled
- Wellesley Annual Town Meeting night #3: School AC a hot topic
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