New Canaan Parks & Rec vs. the pickleball addicts

New Canaan Parks & Recreation officials are locking the Mead Park pickleball courts overnight after fielding noise complaints from town officials over pickleball addicts who insist on playing in the pre-dawn hours.

According to the NewCanaanite.com blog, the park”™s courts are scheduled to be open between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., and there are signs posted at the courts that clearly define that schedule. However, some obsessed pickleball players have vandalized and removed the signs while engaging in their favorite game ”“ often beginning matches as early as 5:30 a.m.

Parks & Recreation Director John Howe observed that many of the players invading the courts are coming from other towns because they know New Canaan is among the few localities where open courts are available at off-hours. Besides locking the courts overnight, Howe noted the town wanted to use weighted lines and nets to install four additional pickleball courts on top of two tennis courts at New Canaan High School ”“ but that created a new problem.

“The nets and the drop down lines have been removed by people wanting to play tennis,” he said. “I do not think it is a workable solution.”