WRITTEN BY Kevin Moura

GRAPHIC BY Kevin Moura

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The pickleball courts at Rudgear Park are the home of the Walnut Creek Pickleball Club (WCPC). The courts face closure because of noise complaints from a few neighbors. The neighbors filed complaints against the City of Walnut Creek, who own the courts.

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The City, the neighbors and the officers of the WCPC have met numerous times in the past year and a half. They’re trying to reach a compromise regarding court locations and times that can please the neighbors, along with the players of the WCPC. The City has reduced the hours of play by 20% and closed the courts during two additional afternoons, further reducing the hours that pickleball players can play.

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Upset by this, numerous WCPC members and other pickleball players previously attended an important Walnut City Council meeting on Tuesday, September 5th, 2023. The pickleball players spoke in favor of keeping the current playing schedule, building the new courts at Tice Valley, along with keeping the Rudgear courts open permanently.

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The City considered building new courts, but it will take at least two years and result in a significant cost. Since the Rudgear pickleball courts are already built and active, it made sense to many of the speakers to keep them as is.

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Sara Young, one of the regular pickleball players opposed the idea of having the Rudgear courts shut down said, “I think it’s a big mistake. The neighbors’ property value is higher, so they benefit from having a public park.”

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Sara Young was willing to fight to keep the courts open. “I would definitely put time and effort into saving these courts. It impacts people from multiple generations,” she said.

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Scott Burrell, another pickleball player, shared similar thoughts. “They’re making a big mistake. The courts are a jewel and a crown for the city of Walnut Creek. When you move next to a park, you should expect to hear noise,” he said.

Scott Burrell agreed to join the fight to help convince the City to keep the Rudgear courts there permanently. “Yes, it’s a good fight. We’ve been fighting, and we’ll keep fighting for the courts. If the City were to build new courts, they should build them in Tice Valley Park,” Scott Burrell said.

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Many other pickleball players said that the possible closure of the courts at Rudgear Park would result in the youth having no local place to play, since students are in school in the morning, and the courts are closed in the afternoons Monday through Thursday.

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It seems like it will be a long battle to keep the Rudgear pickleball courts the way they are, but it appears that many local residents are willing to help in the fight to keep the courts open.

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Currently, many local pickleball players are getting organized as a group (outside of WCPC) to attempt to convince the city to give us back our lost hours of play and to save the Rudgear pickleball courts. That effort would be more impactful if local high schoolers who enjoy playing pickleball would join the group and agree to speak up at the city council meetings so we can get the message out.