EMMAUS, Pa. — The pickleball craze is being served up in the borough, with two courts coming to Furnace Dam Park and another pair at Emmaus Community Park.
The Furnace Dam Park courts are set to be finished by the end of this summer, while the courts at Emmaus Community Park could be ready by next spring.
- Emmaus Borough Council approved work on new pickleball courts
- Sets of two courts will go up at Furnace Dam Park and Emmaus Community Park
- The funding comes in part from the Chestnut Ridge at Rodale development
Borough council on Monday night unanimously passed a motion approving paving the courts and completing courts as budgeted at Furnace Dam Park.
Each location is set to receive two side-by-side courts on a 60-foot by 60-foot paving.
They will be the first pickleball courts in the borough, following projects funded in other municipalities throughout the Lehigh Valley.
At the meeting, borough council decided to expand its original plans to also accelerate laying the groundwork for the two Emmaus Community Park courts, due to only wishing to pay for a single day of contracting in order to lay the foundation.
The borough plans to budget the fencing and other necessary amenities for the community park courts to be completed in 2024.
At Furnace Dam Park, the pickleball courts will be placed on the opposite side of the pond from the road; at Emmaus Community Park, the court area is proposed between the volleyball court and arts pavilion.
Pickleball is a cross between badminton and tennis, but players use smaller courts, paddles and perforated plastic balls.
USA Pickleball estimates a current player base of nearly 9 million in the U.S. above the age of 6; it's considered the fastest-growing sport in the country.
Funding from a nearby development
Borough Manager Shane Pepe said funding for the Furnace Dam project is coming largely from the Chestnut Ridge at Rodale senior living development that's being built. It is providing $148,000 for borough recreation enhancements as part of its construction agreement with the municipality.
"Looking at the population that's moving in there, which is all active older adults, pickleball is the obvious thing that they're going to use," Pepe said.
"Putting in a pickleball court next door at the dam is going to directly benefit that population, because they're going to use it for sure."
"Both the Lower Macungie Township manager and the Upper Macungie Township manager have told me people are fighting over pickleball courts. I'm hearing like this is the rage out there."Shane Pepe, Emmaus borough manager
The borough already has purchased lights and had the project budgeted for the Furnace Dam park location.
Blacktop material will cost $8,000 at each park while a day of labor and equipment to install is estimated at approximately $25,000, with Pepe saying the borough will be seeking potential contractors now that the project is approved, potentially at a lower cost.
Fencing is estimated to cost $8,000-$10,000, with a net and pole set costing approximately $16,000 each. Another $10,000 is earmarked for paint.
Exact costs for the community park location will be estimated during the following year's budgeting process.
Pickleball craze across the Valley — and beyond
"Both the Lower Macungie Township manager and the Upper Macungie Township manager have told me people are fighting over pickleball courts," Pepe said. "I'm hearing like this is the rage out there."
The Facebook group Lehigh Valley Pickleball has more than 1,000 followers. Upper Macungie Park & Recreation Board Chair Bret Spangler, who runs the page, said the pickleball courts at the township’s Grange Park often are used by more than 50 people on nice days.
In 2017, a group of residents from Upper Macungie Township persuaded supervisors to install the Grange Park courts by showing up at meetings and putting on a presentation about why it was a good idea.
In an earlier interview, Spangler advised residents who want their townships to install pickleball courts to do the same.
“It's really [about] getting the township and municipalities to understand the dynamics of it and how easy it is,” Spangler said.
In Emmaus, if these courts are a success, they could carve a pathway for more.
"The end game is probably six to 10 [courts]," Pepe said. "We're going to see how these two [at Furnace Dam Park] go and those two [at Emmaus Community Park] go. And then we'll see.
"I have this sneaky feeling that we're going to be searching for places in town."
