GRANBY, CT — Granby voters will decide Dec. 8 whether to authorize $500,000 for new pickleball courts and a year-round bathroom at Salmon Brook Park, with the courts proposed farther from neighboring homes.
The town's project description and ballot question call for up to four dedicated courts and the bathroom at the park, 215 Salmon Brook St. Both facilities are proposed for the north end near the soccer fields.
Pickleball currently shares the park's tennis courts. Noise concerns from nearby condominiums prompted the installation of sound barriers this spring, according to the town, which describes relocation as the permanent solution.
The concerns predate this year's proposal. In a September 2024 account published in the Granby Drummer, then-Parks and Recreation Board Chairperson Anthony McGovern described neighbors' complaints about noise, play beyond park hours and adherence to park rules.
"Residents were looking for constructive solutions and not for an abrupt cancellation of pickleball," McGovern wrote.
His account also described players expressing their enjoyment of the sport and a shared interest in longer-term improvements that would address neighbors' concerns.
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The town estimates $250,000 for the courts and $250,000 for the bathroom. Those are preliminary figures; its project page cautions that the courts have not yet been fully designed or put out to bid.
The town also cites increased park use following completion of the walking path, including activities during months when existing bathrooms are unavailable.
Under the ballot question, payments on the borrowing would come from the Parks and Recreation Special Revenue Fund.
Capital priorities committee minutes from Jan. 5, included in its Jan. 26 meeting packet, describe that fund as primarily supported by park program and rental fees. The minutes document support for dedicated courts and a year-round bathroom from residents and the Parks and Recreation Board.
The park proposal is one of five separate capital questions, alongside high school athletic fields, middle school work, library renovations and sewer pumps. Patch previously detailed the athletic fields proposal.
Residents can review drawings, costs and project descriptions at an open house Saturday, Nov. 14, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Granby Senior Center. Town staff and capital projects committee members will answer questions.
A town meeting is scheduled for Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Senior Center. Referendum voting will take place Dec. 8 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the Town Hall Meeting Room, 15 North Granby Road.
For more Northern Connecticut news, follow Patch editor Jay Kenney.
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