ASHLAND — The six Pickleball courts in Ashland’s Cahn Grove Park are done and, on Friday, the people behind the vision gathered to celebrate and make it official.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller called it “Fantastic Friday,” capping a week of ribbon cuttings and exciting announcements for the city.
Just days prior, Charles River announced it would expand its footprint in Ashland by 200,000 square-feet, an addition that promises the addition of 500 employees. Also, the YMCA broke ground on a $3.6 million project and officials erected the city’s very first arch.
“We can truly create the world in which we want to live,” Miller said, clutching a yellow whiffle, er, Pickleball. “This shows that if we polish up the place, we really can create the perfect place to live. And we’re getting close to a Hallmark setting here in Ashland.”
The Pickleball project cost just a little more than $250,000, said Jason Counts, the city’s parks director. He said the city installed new sidewalks, painted the bathrooms, constructed benches and a drinking fountain. Counts said lights were recently delivered and will be installed soon.
The Ashland Pickleball Association covered the bulk of that cost. The APA boasts this will attract 120 people to play the sport — best described as a cross between miniature tennis and oversized ping pong — at the YMCA or Grace Church.
The APA initiated the capital campaign in November 2020. The group raised $203,000, said Norma Sturgeon, the group’s director.
Sturgeon began playing the sport in 2019, shortly after Counts turned the existing court into a Pickleball court.
“We bought three nets, painted some lines — it was just to see if there was any traction,” he said. “Well, apparently there was.”
The Sports and Fitness Industry Association describes Pickleball as the fastest growing sport in the nation. It has grown in popularity by 39.3% in the last two years and has 4.3 million players in the U.S.
It was invented by three Washington men in the 1960s. The name derives from Pickles, the name of one of the men’s dogs. The dog would run after the ball as they played.
The courts, each 20 feet wide by 44 feet long, at Cahn Grove Park are divided by fences and sheltered by another, along with towering oaks and maples scattered throughout.
The park’s courts used to serve tennis players. When that went into disrepair, the city invested in skateboard and BMX ramps.
“The skaters were damaging the fences,” Sturgeon said. “And the tennis courts were terrible. There were cracks, which were all filled with gooey tar stuff.”
She said she’s happy the courts were placed at Cahn, which she described as underserved.
“I think these courts will bring more people to the park,” she said.
The six courts will be open for play from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
For more information on the APA and when and where the group gathers to play, visit its Facebook page or email apa44805@gmail.com.
