LYNN — City officials gathered Wednesday afternoon to the cut the ribbon on the new pickleball courts at Clark Street Playground. Mayor Jared Nicholson applauded the efforts of everyone who had been involved in the project.
“I want to thank everyone for their advocacy,” Nicholson said. “This is a great example of what happens when folks come together in sports to get things done. We are so excited to see everyone use these public parks because they’re intended to give everyone healthy and enjoyable recreation.”
Community Development Director James Marsh said that the total cost of the project was $145,000, accounting for the demolition and repaving of the asphalt courts, fencing, nets, and sealcoating.
“The final piece will have a new ADA-complaint entrance into the courts and new walkway, which we will be installing this month,” Marsh said. “The original layout of the courts consisted of two pickleball courts and bocce ball courts. The new layout consists of four pickleball courts. We also reoriented the layout of the courts 90 degrees from their original positioning to cut down on the glare from the sun.”
Sarah Caliento, Lynn’s pickleball ambassador, said that that people from all over the North Shore make use of the courts due to their accessibility and scenic location.
“Four or five years ago we had courts at this park, but they were in shambles,” Caliento said. “They had a lot of dead spots, so the ball would inbound. So we were able to get a grant through Community Development for these courts and now we have people coming from all over town. We have people coming down from Gloucester and Winthrop, all over to play because these are the most beautiful courts in the area.”
Nicholson said that he is pleased to see people enjoying the courts, and is optimistic about future projects in Lynn getting the same response.
“This is the result of of a lot of hard work and collaboration across city departments and with the city and community members,” Nicholson said. “We are very excited to see it come to fruition and I think it shows that the city is ready to deliver on new projects that will enhance the value of our existing assets.”
