Hi everyone,

Thank you again for signing the petition in support of restoring Piney Wood’s evening pickleball hours to 9:00 p.m. I wanted to share an update on where things stand.

As you may remember, I submitted the petition to Durham Parks and Recreation in late December and requested a brief meeting, along with a clear point of contact for continued discussion. Director Wade Walcutt acknowledged the petition and said DPR would review the request as part of its ongoing operations.

After waiting roughly three months without a substantive response, I followed up with Director Walcutt, and copied our City Council representative and the assistant city manager who oversees related activities. I was then connected with Rukea Womack, Assistant Director of the Community Recreation Services Division at Durham Parks and Recreation. After an initial offer to take ideas back to her team, Ms. Womack agreed to meet and discuss the community’s concerns.

The meeting included:

Rukea Womack
Assistant Director, Community Recreation Services Division, Durham Parks and Recreation

Kathryn “LeAnn” Kennedy
Recreation Services Manager / Recreation Manager, Community Recreation Services Division

Baron Edwards
Program Coordinator, Durham Parks and Recreation

The conversation was pleasant, open, and respectful. DPR clearly understands that many players care deeply about restoring the later evening hours and about keeping pickleball accessible to a broader and more diverse group of Durham residents.

That said, the key takeaway is not encouraging.

DPR shared that the decision to move Piney Wood’s evening closing time from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. was made by Ms. Womack and Ms. Kennedy. They explained that the concern was the constant and repetitive nature of pickleball noise during play (less so about peak noise levels). Their stated goal is to balance the interests of pickleball players with concerns from nearby apartment residents.

They also said DPR previously explored sound-mitigation options, but those options were expensive and came with no guarantee that they would adequately reduce noise, particularly sound projected above the height of the fences. In response to other suggestions, such as limited play to the courts further from the apartment, and/or restoring the hours on weekend evenings, they didn't believe that would be an acceptable solution to the noise issue. 

DPR indicated that it plans to survey nearby residents about their experiences related to the courts. However, based on the conversation, they indicated that it's highly unlikely that DPR will restore Piney Wood’s closing time to 9:00 p.m.

When asked directly what the pickleball community could do to influence or change the decision, DPR said there was nothing specific we could do regarding the Piney Wood hours. They did, however, encourage members of the community to attend City Council meetings and voice support for the addition of more pickleball courts in other parts of Durham.

I know this is not the outcome many of us hoped for. I remain strongly committed to restoring broader evening access and to helping grow a pickleball community in Durham that is welcoming, accessible, and diverse. 

If any of you would like to discuss this further, or might consider bringing this and broader pickleball support to the City Council, please feel free to reach out to me at thestevensonian@gmail.com.

Thank you again for speaking up and supporting this effort.

Andy