By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
An expanse of freshly paved asphalt on 42nd Place makes it appear that Sea Isle City is getting ready to open a new parking lot.
But the spot won’t be used for parking. It’s intended for another word that begins with “p.”
Pickleball.
The city is building seven new pickleball courts to meet heavier demand for a fast-growing sport that is particularly popular with baby boomers and senior citizens. U.S. Census figures show that the average age in Sea Isle is 63 years old, which is right in the sweet spot for pickleball players.
City spokeswoman Katherine Custer said the courts are expected to be ready by Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the busy summer tourism season.
The newly paved asphalt must “set” before the contractor begins painting the lines for the courts, Custer explained. Line painting may be done as early as this week in one of the last steps before the courts open to pickleball players.
“They have been very excited about this project from the beginning,” Custer said of local pickleball players.
The courts will be free to the public. They will be available on a first come, first served basis.
The project has moved ahead with the speed of a fast-paced pickleball game ever since Mayor Leonard Desiderio announced plans for the new courts late last year.
After a citywide search for a suitable location, Sea Isle officials decided to build the courts on 42nd Place across from the municipal marina on what used to be a parking lot comprised of old clam shells.
“We had the most space for it there,” Custer said of why the site was selected. “We wanted to make as many pickleball courts as we could.”
In the past month, the crushed white clam shells were removed and replaced with the new layer of asphalt. In addition to the seven new courts, the nearly $180,000 project will include new fencing, benches and trash cans. A tall, chain-link fence with a black covering surrounds the site.
Sea Isle built its first two permanent pickleball courts in 2017 on West Jersey Avenue, across the street from the city’s playground and recreation complex on John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
Especially during summer mornings, demand is high for the courts at the West Jersey site.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sea Isle sets aside three of the tennis courts at the Dealy Field recreation complex for pickleball. Those tennis courts are also lined for pickleball play.
However, those courts at Dealy Field will revert back to tennis full time once the pickleball project is completed.
“We have a very active tennis community,” Custer said. “We want to accommodate as many people as we can.”
Altogether, the city will have nine pickleball courts and eight tennis courts.
Pickleball combines elements of tennis, ping-pong and badminton. Less demanding than tennis, pickleball is a relatively low impact sport, which makes it appealing to senior citizens and baby boomers.
The sport is played on a 20-foot-wide and 40-foot-long court about the same size as a doubles badminton court. Players use a modified tennis-style net, wooden or graphite paddles and a lightweight, plastic ball.
The new pickleball courts are among other recreation attractions Sea Isle is adding this year, including a nearly $1 million fishing pier and kayak launch site that opened May 1 on the bayfront near 60th Street by Dealy Field.
