Andy Close
WARREN, Pa. – After a long and arduous process, Warren City Council approved a lease agreement for the construction of pickleball courts at Betts Park during its Monday meeting.
The Warren Pickleball Club has stated its intention to raise the necessary funds for the courts, of which there will be 6-8. They will be charged with incurring all costs related to construction.
“We haven’t started (fundraising officially,” said Jon Marti of the Warren Pickleball Club. “We were waiting on the approval of this agreement.”
Now they have it, and one of the fastest-growing sports in the country will have a home in Warren.
“I know there’s been a lot of hard work on a lot of different fronts regarding this project,” said Mayor Dave Wortman. “It’s very exciting. We’re all looking forward to watching pickleball continue to grow here in Warren.”
The motion to approve the lease agreement was approved by a 7-0 vote.
“I would like to thank everyone that has come out and continued to push for pickleball growth in the Warren community,” said councilman John Wortman. “I feel that this agreement is a way to preserve what we have in the city of Warren. We have seen exceptional growth and are excited about it. This growth I believe can lead to economic revenue coming into our community.
“If someone decides to go and play pickleball then hopefully after their game they will decide to find a restaurant to have lunch or a coffee shop to have coffee and see the beauty that is the city of Warren.”
The Betts Foundation also has thrown its support behind the project stating that they are a good fit for the community.
Also approved during Monday’s meeting was the use of pickleball courts use in correlation with the tennis courts at Beaty Park. Rules were initially put up at Beaty on June 2, but council ultimately decided to postpone them.
“If anyone’s playing tennis, they have the court until they choose to exit the court,” John Wortman said.
The courts will be used for both drop and play and open play.
“Upon completion of the courts at Betts, all courts at Beaty will be designated for drop and play,” John Wortman said. “My intention is to not have someone who’s playing tennis be removed from the court because of open play.”
That stipulation allows that no one using the Beaty courts for tennis will be removed from the courts for pickleball so long as they are using them for playing tennis.
