Thank you for your continued interest and support in keeping the pickleball courts at Kendale Woods. Many of you have reached out to me to ask if there is anything you can do to continue to support this cause and stand up for the rights and needs of our community.

You can contact Chairperson McKay and ask him to step in and listen to our concerns and address the shortcomings in how the FCPA handled the issue with our neighborhood courts.

Here is his contact and others who you can cc'  

Chairman McKay: chairman@fairfaxcounty.gov

Andres Jimenez: Mason@fairfaxcounty.gov 

Jai Cole: Jai.Cole@fairfaxcounty.gov

Ronald Kendall: FCPABoard.Mason@fairfaxcounty.gov

Kiel Stone: FCPABoard.Braddock@fairfaxcounty.gov

Here's an email you can copy and paste: 

Dear Chairman McKay,

I hope this message finds you well. I am writing to bring to your attention a critical community matter concerning the pickleball courts at Kendale Woods Park in Annandale, Virginia.

Executive Director of the Fairfax County Park Authority (FCPA), Ms. Cole, has announced the removal of our pickleball courts at Kendale Woods following what she described as "careful consideration." However, there was no genuine consideration given to the wants and needs of our community or to maintaining our courts. A virtual meeting held on June 5 to discuss mitigation plans was unproductive, as the complainant chose not to join, leading to the decision that no mitigation efforts would be considered.

There are significant concerns regarding the land use rights for these courts. The land rights were granted by the Broyhill Crest Recreation Club contingent on the courts meeting the community's needs, which pickleball courts do, but tennis-only courts will not. The current FCPA decision seems to overlook this crucial stipulation.

Ms. Cole's stance has made her a champion of the anti-pickleball group, Pickleball Noise Relief, asserting that making one person listen to pickleball noise is unethical. This stance is unsupported by any concrete evidence. In contrast, our community has overwhelmingly supported keeping the pickleball courts, with a vote of over 500 to 1 in favor.

Ms. Cole has cited a case in Seattle, WA, to justify her position, but this does not reflect our local reality. Our neighborhood does not view pickleball noise as an issue. The FCPA has unilaterally labeled pickleball noise as a problem without any backing from health organizations or reputable sources.

Moreover, the process followed by Ms. Cole did not adhere to standard protocols. The community was given no chance for compromise, and we were never given an opportunity to address the sole complaint about noise. The FCPA board was unaware of the changes until we brought it to their attention. It appears Ms. Cole made this decision independently and subsequently attempted to appease the community without offering a genuine path to resolution.

Ms. Cole's discussions with FCPA's legal counsel indicated that closing the courts was not a legal necessity. Despite this, she remains resolute in her decision based on a single complaint.

I kindly request your intervention to reconsider the decision to remove the pickleball courts. Your support in addressing this matter would be invaluable to our community.

Thank you for your attention to this pressing issue.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Contact Information]
[Your Address]