[Ed. Note: This letter was sent to elected officials and staff of the City of Peekskill.]

To the Editor:

We have lived in Peekskill for more than 20 years and played pickleball in northern Westchester County (Croton-on-Hudson, Cortlandt and Yorktown) for many years.  We recently visited the Recreation Office at Depew Park to inquire about the planned 2025 pickleball program. We write to share our thoughts.

Our current understanding of how Parks and Recreation plans to run the pickleball program is based on conversations at the Recreation Office.  (If our understanding is incorrect, please let us know.)  

• Individual residents pay $95 for a permit and are allowed one guest.   
  

• Family residents pay $95 for a permit and are not allowed guests.
  

• Non-residents pay $95 for a permit plus an additional $5 fee for each playing session and guests are not allowed. 
  

• A permit holder can reserve a court for a 1½-hour block of time.
  

• The courts are open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. with a monitor present.
  

• Social open play time is not permitted. 
  

While we appreciate the opportunity to play pickleball on our town’s courts, rather than elsewhere, we believe the planned program does not serve the best interests of the pickleball community for the following reasons:

1. The proposed fee structure is excessive when compared to fees charged by nearby towns with much higher yearly median household incomes. For example, residents of Cortlandt (which has a median income of $117,000) may use their courts free of charge. Residents of Yorktown (which has a median income of $186,000) pay $45 for a season pass and non-residents pay $125 with no added fee for each session.

In contrast, residents of Peekskill (which has a much lower median income of $92,000) are being asked to pay $95 for a permit.  This is prohibitive and will result in the courts being underutilized.  With very few exceptions, most weekday players are retired with many living on fixed incomes.  The fees should be reduced to a nominal amount (e.g., $25), given the income and age demographics of players in Peekskill. 

2. Importantly, pickleball as played on municipal outdoor courts in northern Westchester County is based on the “social open play” concept.  Residents can play without having to reserve a court for a block of time in advance.  Residents simply have access to the courts during the designated hours of operation. 

Open play enables more interaction among community residents and offers more diverse playing situations. It also eliminates the need for a player to recruit others to play on any given day. A player simply schedules a session by using the Playtime Scheduler App (as we did last summer) and interested players will join the session.

At least two or three of the four courts should be available for open play. In the absence of open play, the courts will certainly be underutilized to the detriment of the pickleball community.

3. The proposed pickleball program is discriminatory since tennis players are not subject to the same restrictions. Tennis players (a) are free to play at any time without reserving a court, (b) do not pay a fee for a permit, and (c) have unlimited access to the courts.  Pickleball players should be treated the same way as tennis players. 

We also point out that last season Parks and Recreation allowed open play. Residents were able to enjoy the courts this way without incident.  During the busiest play times (weekday mornings) about 10 to 12 players (mostly retired) tended to participate.  We spoke with many of these players, and they unanimously agree with our comments.

We appreciate the opportunity to convey our thoughts and look forward to discussing these issues further at your convenience.

Regards,
John Galban
Helene Galban
Peekskill