Pickleball players fight plans to close Congress Park courts

DENVER (KDVR) — What used to be a popular spot for pickleball is now gated off and under construction.

On April 3, Denver Parks and Recreation closed the pickleball courts at Congress Park and halted plans to relocate the courts farther away from homes. The department also canceled construction plans for new courts at Sloan’s Lake Park.

“It just felt a bit capricious for them to shut down play when there was already an established plan,” said pickleball player Deborah Saint-Phard.

According to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, moving the courts farther away would help with noise but would increase park conflicts because of an increase in pickleball usage. Here’s the full response from the board:

“The…