York, Maine — Pickleball players in York will have to find other places to play during school hours as York High School’s courts will be off-limits when classes resume on September 3. The ban does not apply after school hours, on weekends, or during school vacations.
Couple of longtime players, Clay Feeter and his wife, Joyce Bilodeau, say they’ve built a strong community around the courts beside York High School over the past five years. They play with a diverse group of seniors and say the games foster real intergenerational camaraderie.
“The kids now, when they would come after school, they would come and play with us. Where do you get an environment where you get teenage kids who want to hang out with old people like us? They love it, we love it,” Bilodeau said.
The regulars typically prefer playing from seven to ten in the morning, aligning with the school day still in session. But this fall, officials from the York School Committee are enforcing a policy that bars pickleball and tennis on the school grounds during instructional hours.
York School Committee Chair Julie Kelbert underscored safety and privacy concerns, saying access to students must be carefully managed. “Safety and security doesn’t only have to do with keeping people off campus. We also have to consider access to students in general,” Kelbert explained. “Students deserve the privacy and confidentiality to go about their school day without having unrestricted visitors.”
The players counter that their presence provides a deterrent to problems and serves as additional eyes and ears for student safety. Bilodeau noted, “We’re making it safer for these kids, not more dangerous as far as I’m concerned.” Feeter added that many of the players are parents and grandparents, with some great-grandparents among the regulars.
York High School’s courts are the town’s only public facilities for the sport. Kelbert said the town manager is working on an alternate court site nearby, but until then, players must travel outside York during school hours. Bilodeau questioned the inconvenience and expenses, saying, “Why don’t you go to Kittery? Why don’t you go to Ogunquit? Well we pay taxes here and we want to play here with our neighbors and friends.”
The ban does not affect after-school hours, weekends, or school vacations, offering some consolation to those who rely on the court for recreation and social connection.
Summary: The York High School courts will be unavailable for pickleball during instructional hours starting September 3 as the School Committee emphasizes student safety and privacy, while local players lament the disruption to a long-standing community activity and await a planned nearby alternative court.
Additional comments for readers and context:
– This change highlights a ongoing balancing act between safeguarding students and preserving community recreation spaces.
– If the new court site is opened soon, it could restore a beloved gathering spot for seniors and families, while potentially expanding access for other residents.
– In the meantime, players may need to adjust to dawn hours elsewhere or consider other nearby facilities until a local alternative is ready.
Potential next steps:
– Monitor updates from the town on the timing and location of the new court.
– Local officials might consider temporary supervised or scheduled access at alternative sites to minimize disruption.
– Community groups could explore shared users agreements to optimize limited public spaces while prioritizing student safety.