Monroe County has started construction on pickleball courts at Black Creek Park in Chili and Mendon Ponds Park.
Each of the parks will get four new courts, which officials say will be open by early summer.
“While we already have courts in Churchville, Ontario Beach, Webster, Greece Canal, and Ellison Parks, demand for courts has skyrocketed,” Patrick Meredith, the county’s parks director, said during a news conference Wednesday at Black Creek Park.
National news organizations have reported that pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States. The game resembles an oversized game of pingpong played on tennis courts. Players on county courts must provide their own paddles and balls.
The new courts are part of a broader county effort to fix up and update its parks. That work has included updates to lodges and repairs to roads and trails.
“These courts are just one way we’re modernizing our parks, bringing people of all ages together to play an increasingly popular sport,” County Executive Adam Bello said. “This is a sport, too, where parents, grandparents, they can play with their kids, everybody gets outside together.”
