Historical Information

Community Preservation Committee - Public Comment Online Meeting

• The Northampton Community Preservation Committee is holding their public comment meeting for current project proposals on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, online beginning at 7:00pm.
  • On the agenda is comments regarding the Pickleball Court Creation funding request. To view the CPC webpage with meeting and agenda information, click here
  • For all projects under review for Fall 2023, click here

Pickleball Court Design & Development

There is a community meeting scheduled for:
Thursday, October 12, 2023, 4:30-5:30pm at Ray Ellerbrook Fields Park, 48 Burts Pit Rd., Northampton. 

Come discuss and give input on the plan for pickleball courts and possible amenities. Berkshire Design will join Parks & Rec to present the possible layouts, various options in the park as well as cost estimates.

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Update - August 26, 2023

The feasibility study for a location of courts was completed and Ellerbrook Fields Park is the chosen site for the location to build the courts.

We are happy to report that in July, the Mayor and City Council supported and funded a $29,000 contract for Professional Design Services for Landscape Architecture, Civil Engineering, and Surveying services with Berkshire Design Inc.
Over August, they have been working on the survey, wetlands marks, drainage, underground utilities analysis and a conceptual design. There are some internal city meetings in the next few weeks to better understand the site, and the possible design and development options.
Following those meetings, some preliminary cost estimates on basic design options will be available. We are hoping to be able to build 5 or 6 courts on the site. We are looking forward to a meeting with our local players for input on the design options. Things like fencing, shade structures, tables, and other amenities.
Original estimates of the courts are anywhere from $350,000-$575,000, depending on the number of courts, amenities, and infrastructure work needed.  
There are many options we will explore for funding.  We will be submitting a request to the Northampton Community Preservation committee for a portion. There will also need to be a fundraising effort from our local community of players.  Also, if anyone knows of other grant opportunities for Pickleball Courts, please let us know. 

Next steps: 

1. If you are interested in leading or helping with fundraising, please let us know. Please email: recreation@northamptonma.gov so we can begin a group list. This is going to be a very important piece of the project. 

2. Community Meeting: We will hold a community meeting to gather input on the amenities, fencing, etc. as soon as we have more site information and some conceptual design options.  We hope for this meeting to happen by the end of September onsite at Ellerbrook Fields Park. If you would like to be on this  meeting email list, please email recreation@northamptonma.gov.

We are super excited for this project, and look forward to the planning of the details. 

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Feasibility Study 2022-23

The City has engaged Berkshire Design Inc. to conduct a feasibility study for Pickleball Courts in the City. Thank you to the Community Preservation Committee for providing the funding for the project.

Possible Sites & Survey

Berkshire Design, Inc. has compiled possible pickleball court locations in Northampton. The PDF of the presentation is below. 

• Pickleball Court Feasibility Study (PDF)