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2 Gallagher Courts for pickleball had to be given this fall and through her memo, Ms. Sheth extracted elements from the TPWG Report specific to this issue. The basic question to be asked is what is adequate for citing pickleball in town. Ms. Sheth encouraged Committee members to look at it through the lens as if the courts were being built for the first time. The reconstruction project cleared the slate and Ms. Sheth asked if there had never been tennis courts at Gallagher before, would the Committee decide to put pickleball courts there now? Ms. Sheth concluded her remarks by recommending to not put pickleball lines at the Gallagher Courts. While Lexington High School has pickleball as part of its physical education curriculum, it is currently played indoors in the Field House. Peter Coleman, Assistant Director of Recreation, provided an overview on the usage of the pickleball courts at Adams and Clarke. Usage of these pickleball courts has increased over the past year. There are no restrictions on use at the Adams Courts and the Department has not received any noise complaints concerning Adams or Clarke. Melissa Battite added that the Waldorf School has graciously offered to not use the Adams Courts at all this fall to help offset the shortage while the Gallagher Courts remain offline. Ms. Sheth referred to the map of the Gallagher Courts that Christian Boutwell, Vice Chair of the Recreation Committee, created. The map illustrates that there is not enough distance and natural mitigation between the Gallagher Courts and Parker Street abutters. Ms. Sheth added that the pickleball industry will be forced to change and make the equipment softer/quieter. Rick DeAngelis, Chair of the Recreation Committee, thought it would be a good idea to leave open the possibility of having pickleball at Gallagher in the future if it became feasible. Ms. Sheth agreed that it would be beneficial to keep an open mind given the high demand and resources available in Lexington. Renen Bassik encouraged the Committee to have a systematic approach when considering this issue. Ms. Sheth stated that there is not a single sport in this town that the Committee can meet the demand of 100% of the time. The Committee has the ability to create equity across the various sports and user groups. Mr. DeAngelis added that the map of Gallagher tells a lot about the relationship with the neighbors and while the Committee is not opposed to pickleball, he believed that Gallagher is not an appropriate site. Mr. Boutwell concurred, stating that the distance needs to be reasonable as it was recognized as the top priority of the TPWG. This will help to preserve the abutters’ ability to live in their homes. Ms. Sheth informed the Committee that indoor space is in even higher demand as the gyms at the Bridge, Bowman, and Harrington Schools are small. There are no simple fixes, so this issue will require creative solutions. Potential options include the gyms at the Hayden Recreation Centre and Grace Chapel. The Lexington Pickleball Club (LPC) will be utilizing the Grace Chapel gym beginning this fall. Ms. Sheth expressed that a conversation about having pickleball only at Adams is worth a further discussion at the future Committee meeting. Ms. Battite thanked Ms. Sheth and Mr. Coleman for leading the TPWG as well as the Committee for their work on this issue over the past two years. Ms. Battite encouraged the Committee to be mindful of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as Gallagher is the only court facility with lights. She added that the parking at Adams has to be a factor that is considered. At the conclusion of the discussion, Christian Boutwell made the following motion: “At this time, in light of the proximity of the abutting property lines and the noise associated with pickleball, the Recreation Committee votes to not line the Gallagher Courts for pickleball and votes to not permit the Gallagher Courts for pickleball use.” Weiwei Li seconded the motion. The Recreation Committee voted 6-0 to approve this motion. After the motion passed, the Committee agreed to send a memo to alert the Lexington Public Schools community to the policy decision to not permit pickleball at Gallagher at this time. 39 MARRETT ROAD, LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02421