The Chapel Hill Town Council’s agenda for its work session on October 3 was pretty straightforward: two items and council announcements.

But perhaps the biggest story to come out of the meeting happened before it was called to order.

On Monday evening, dozens of pickleball players and advocates of the paddle sport gathered to demonstrate their passion to elected officials about receiving facilities and funding for their hobby. People carrying their pickleball paddles, handmade signs and even wearing a string of pickleballs while sitting in the audience before the council’s work session began.

Because the town council met at the Chapel Hill Public Library, compared to its space in town commons, cameras taping the work session caught more of the audience and the demonstrators than normal for such meetings.

Pickleball players sit in the audience of the Chapel Hill Town Council’s work session on Monday, October 3. (Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.)

Work sessions by the town council typically do not include public comment periods — even on matters not included on the agenda, meaning none of the pickleballers were able to formally address Chapel Hill council members on Monday. But Mayor Pam Hemminger said the group certainly “received your message.”

“You obviously know a different way to make public comment,” the mayor said with a chuckle.

Afterward, Twitter users saw photos of the pickleball demonstration and shared their thoughts — some in favor of the show of interest and others poking fun at the community members’ methods.

Even U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez shared her interest in reading a post on the website Triangle Blog Blog about the passionate pickleballers.

Pickleball’s popularity in the U.S. is booming, with the sport picking up steam with younger plays after largely skewing for the 55+ demographic, according to the U.S. Pickleball Association. The sport can be played indoors or outdoors and blends elements of tennis, badminton and even ping-pong.

Pickleball did come up later in Monday’s meeting: the town council heard a presentation on funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and some of the parks and recreation projects funded by those. That includes repair for the six pickleball courts at Ephesus Park in Chapel Hill, with town staff also saying they are continuing conversations with pickleball players on finding potential spots for an eventual, expanded facility. Those courts will be closed on October 17-19 for surface repair, the town announced on Friday.

The town council also received an update and shared feedback on a feasibility study for a splash pad in Chapel Hill parks.

The full Chapel Hill Town Council work session from October 3 can be found here.

 

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

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