Lidgerwood Park is a public park meant to serve the Morristown community, yet access to its tennis and pickleball courts is unnecessarily restricted.

Pickleball players are required to pay annually for a badge, but the courts are only available during a limited three-hour window Monday through Saturday. For people who work Monday through Friday, this can effectively mean paying for an annual badge while having only three hours on Saturday to realistically use the courts.

The tennis courts have also been inconsistently accessible. Over Labor Day weekend, we arrived during the daytime only to find the tennis courts locked, while other recreational areas of Lidgerwood Park remained available.

We understand that nearby residents have concerns about noise, and we support reasonable quiet hours. However, neighborhood noise concerns should not prevent the broader community from using public recreational facilities during normal daytime hours.

We are not asking for late-night play. We are asking the Town of Morristown to establish reasonable, dependable access to the tennis and pickleball courts during daylight hours, with appropriate evening restrictions.

Public courts are especially important for residents who cannot afford memberships at private tennis or racquet clubs. Public recreation should be accessible to everyone, not only those who can afford private alternatives.

If Morristown is going to maintain public courts and charge annual fees for pickleball access, residents deserve a meaningful opportunity to actually use them.