The city indicated that reaching a settlement was the best possible outcome.
The City of Boise is attempting to resolve a long-running legal feud—and multimillion-dollar lawsuit—against a local pickleball park, electing to shut it down rather than take the case to court.
In a statement announcing the decision, the City of Boise said that it took other factors into consideration.
“After reviewing the facts related to the Willow Lane Park litigation, Boise Parks and Recreation assessed other pickleball facilities and determined that Manitou Park Park is no longer a suitable site for pickleball,” read a City of Boise statement. “The decision has not been made lightly and is based on a variety of factors including but not limited to the ambient noise level in these areas, the number of courts at each facility, the noise emanating from those courts, the courts use patters, and the proximity of the courts to homes.”
In a related release, the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation explained that it had tried—and failed—to meet a growing need through remodeled pickleball courts.
“The City of Boise’s Department of Parks and Recreation works diligently to provide beautiful and accessible park spaces that improve the health and wellbeing of Boise residents. This includes efforts to find sustainable locations for pickleball play throughout the park system, while respecting other park uses,” the city said. “The popularity of pickleball has grown exponentially across the country since 2019, and the desire for places to play rapidly accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Boise, like other cities, addressed this increased demand by converting certain courts from tennis to pickleball. Unfortunately, some of these court conversions have not been as successful as we had hoped, and one such conversion led to litigation.”
The city indicated that reaching a settlement was the best possible outcome.
“After carefully evaluating and balancing numerous city resources, the City of Boise chose to settle the lawsuit associated with the pickleball courts at Willow Lane Park. Settling this lawsuit allows Boise’s Parks and Recreation Department to focus on its mission of enhancing the quality of life for Boise residents by providing and maintaining accessible, safe, and vibrant open spaces and recreational facilities,” the city said in a statement.
Sources
City of Boise to pickleballers: take your paddles somewhere else
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