Nonresidents are using New Canaan’s platform or “paddle” tennis courts at times when attendants are not there to monitor registrations, including Fairfield County league players, according to a local woman who holds a permit to play at the Waveny facility.
There are “there are quite a few people from other towns that know when our offseason starts and they are using our paddle courts,” Terri Hott told members of the Parks & Recreation Commission during their regular meeting last week.
“All of us that have passes—and that’s revenue for the town—make our reservations,” Hott said during the March 10 meeting, held via videoconference. “If these other leagues are not paying for the use of the courts and they are reserving the courts, I mean, what revenue is collected on that?”
“One Sunday I was there, there were just people driving by and they jumped on the courts with their kids. And just to throw a ball or something with their child. And of course you’re not going to say anything because it’s not my place and you want to be friendly. But they’re on the courts just messing around. We need a sign that says it’s for Waveny paddle pass members only and we need to make sure that if people are bringing guests in, they pay for the guests, and that it is for the town paddle pass members to use those courts. OK? And that’s why we built the fifth court, so that people, that all the league play can happen on the [courts] one through four and then there’s a court that any town person that wants to play. But I’m telling you that I’m there quite a bit and there is a lot of league play on those courts.”
The comments came after a committee of the Commission provided an update on use of the paddle tennis courts. The outdoor cold-weather sport’s popularity has soared amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Commissioner George Bennington said the high revenues generated by permit sales “are really stellar.” Here’s a snapshot of paddle tennis activity:
Paddle Tennis Permit Summary
| FY 2017 | FY 2018 | FY 2019 | FY 2020 | FY 2021 YTD | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | 244 | 231 | 266 | 249 | 275 |
| Daily | 19 | 38 | N/A | 24 | 57 |
| Family | 48 | 43 | 11 | 22 | 55 |
| Family Member | 126 | 122 | 88 | ||
| Senior | 42 | 54 | 54 | 67 | 65 |
| Youth | 7 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 24 |
| Paddle Fees | $37,300 | $44,243 | $46,210 | $55,831 | $74,421 |
The town’s season in the past has run October through May, though some have advocated for a longer season and more access to the paddle hut. (At the meeting, the Commission voted unanimously to allow for the season to be extended through July.) For years, paddle players advocated for the addition of a fifth court. Thanks to private donations as well as a town contribution, the project was completed in 2018 amid rising demand.
The town sells different types of permits, ranging from $35 to $290, to residents of New Canaan. Only permit-holders can make a reservation, though paying guests may come as long as they’re accompanied on the court by a permit-holding resident.
In response to Hott’s comments, Recreation Director Steve Benko noted that an attendant is on duty Monday through Friday evenings and again all day on Saturday and Sunday.
“We have an attendant there and to use the courts you need a reservation so we don’t allow out-of-town groups to use our courts,” he said.
Hott said the attendants are “fantastic” and “wonderful,” yet “they are not there a lot of the time.”
“I have gone up to the court and there have been paper signs on the court saying there is a tournament playing,” she said. “What tournament? Where did you book it? Who did you book it through? I have gone up to a court where I made a reservation on a court five and I had to move some men off the court. They said they are using it for their league play and they have all the courts. And I said, I’m sorry, I booked it.”
Commission Chair Rona Siegel and Recreation Supervisor Steve Dayton both said they would provide Hott their mobile phone numbers and asked that she text them immediately if the situation arises again.
“This it the first I’ve heard of this, Terri, I’m sorry it’s happened,” Dayton said. “We do have one of our boards out front stating our rules and I believe it does state you have to have a Waveny paddle permit to play. My gate attendants have not told me anything about this. So I would appreciate it and I will give you my cell number privately.”
Hott thanked them.
“I’m not going to be rude to anybody, but if I make a reservation on a court I want to be able to get on the court, as well,” she said. “It is what it is. And then with COVID, we were shut down for a reason. It’s lovely that our town has this, we have this opportunity to do a sport outside that is so amazing and that we can all participate in and it is a way for us to get together as a community in a safe mode and it makes money for the town. I love that. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
Why not have the courts gated with a code to use when you purchase a permit, like the dog park?
On another subject, are discussions still being held for pickle ball courts at Mead Park or anywhere? It is a very popular and growing sport snd residents have to go to other towns to play. The paddle courts are not suitable for pickle ball play.
The situation occurred because there was a Waveny Men’s Paddle Team match in the FCPTL and the court in question was reserved for the match. until 12 Noon. All of the FCPTL matches are against clubs from surrounding Towns. The players who reserved the court at 12 noon showed up early and asked if play was almost finished. One of the players said that he was from the visiting team which happens to be an out of Town club. The comment was misinterpreted and the players waiting thought the courts were being used by out of town people.