Pickleball Coming to Springside Park in the FallBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:14PM / Sunday, August 13, 2023 | |
 The city broke ground this week on the new pickleball court near the Doyle Softball Complex. The six courts are expected to be ready for play this fall. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A new pickleball facility is coming this fall.
Located in the northeast corner of Springside Park near the Doyle Softball Complex on Benedict Road, it will feature six courts and a small parking lot.
A groundbreaking scheduled for Monday was cancelled due to inclement weather but there are plans to unveil the finished project with a ribbon cutting in the fall.
Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and ping pong and is suitable for singles and doubles. It has recently grown in popularity with the Sports and Fitness Industry Association estimating 4.8 million current players, which is almost double the number of players five years ago.
Last year, a Springside pickle ball proposal rose from the grave after it the City Council scrapped its funding in 2019.
This time, it is supported by $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act monies and is positioned farther away from residential homes on Bossidy Drive.
A site selection committee was appointed last summer and, starting with nearly 50 possible locations, chose the park out of six.
It began by considering all parks, conservation properties, and school grounds.
Schools and conservation areas were almost immediately disqualified and six possible sites remained: Lebanon Park on Lebanon Avenue, Springside Park on Benedict Road, Lakewood Park on Newell Street, Burbank Park on Valentine Road, Marchisio Park on Dalton Division Road, and the East Street Softball Complex.
Members considered the surrounding neighborhood, co-location compatibility, availability of parking, and environmental aspects of the location.
The Parks Commission voted in favor of the location in November after being presented with a pickleball site study report.
In March, the commission OKed a scaled-down design to fit the $500,000 budget. Construction is estimated to take eight to ten weeks.
Users will be welcomed by a plaza area that has a bike rack, a trash can, and possibly a bulletin board kiosk. It will be fully accessible from the 23-space parking lot with three handicapped-accessible spots.
Four pickleball courts comfortably fit within one tennis court, making the proposed playing area about the size of two tennis courts.
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