Five new pickleball courts open in Castle Pines

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

e wave of pickleball popularity has reached Castle Pines, where ve public pickleball courts o cially opened in late July.

“Since we formally have opened it and in the leadup to the grand opening, we’ve heard a lot of positive reactions,” said Camden Bender, spokesperson for Castle Pines. e courts are all part of the same facility in Coyote Ridge Park in northwest Castle Pines, near Monarch and Hidden Point boulevards. ey o cially opened on July 24. And in the city’s eyes, it’s a big deal: Castle Pines city o cials marked the opening of the courts at an event with a demonstration from “highly decorated and nationally renowned pickleball player Scott Moore,” ac- cording to the city’s website. e ve courts may be the rst public pickleball courts that have been built in Castle Pines. Bender was not aware of any other public spaces that would have had pickleball courts in the past. e sport — played with paddles on a surface similar to a tennis court — has become known for spurring complaints about noise due to the popping sound it makes.

In the nearby suburb of Centennial, concerns over noise made pickleball a high priority for action by city o cials. In March, the Centennial City Council passed a six-month moratorium, or temporary ban, on new applications or approvals for outdoor pickleball courts within 500 feet of residential uses.

A noise consultant recently turned in a study on the issue to Centennial o cials. e study noted that loweramplitude sound can have “adverse long term physiological e ects.” e courts sit on land that used to be a skate park, Bender said.

Asked whether the City of Castle Pines has received any emails, phone calls or other messages complaining about noise from pickleball courts, Bender said the city has not received complaints.

He also noted that people had been playing for a couple weeks before the courts’ o cial opening, but there had been no noise complaints in that time.

Coyote Ridge Park “is a fairly large park, so they’re not particularly close to any homes,” Bender said, adding that the city hopes that mitigates noise concerns.

A government body called the Castle Pines North Metropolitan District initially constructed the courts. But the City of Castle Pines took over and maintains and operates the courts, Bender said.

Nathan Travis, the metro district manager, called the pickleball courts “a tangible result of the cooperation of our two organizations.”

Allowing the metro district to focus solely on water and wastewater needs — and leaving the parks, trails, open space and stormwater service to the city “as they are better equipped to provide these services” — is “a huge win for our community,” Travis said.

Pickleball at Coyote Ridge Park “will be free and will not require reservations,” the city’s website says. For more information, the public can call the city at 303-705-0200 or email information@castlepinesco.gov.

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