CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some residents in east Charlotte are upset with a neighborhood's decision to replace a basketball court with pickleball, and now county leaders have weighed in.
For the past month in Sheffield Park, crews turned a shaded basketball court into a place for pickleball, with one of the reasons supposedly being to curb crime in the area. Some residents told WCNC Charlotte the decision has displaced some people and doesn't cater to the neighborhood.
Underneath the hot sun, people worked up a sweat and enjoyed the new pickleball courts at the park. Jenna Kruzer said the new courts are great because of the shade.
“I really like them, we are pickleball fans," Kruzer said.
Until this week, the pickleball courts used to be for basketball. The hoop was pulled from the ground and fresh dirt piles are still seen. It was a decision made by Carolyn Millen, president of the Sheffield Park Association. She said the goal was to bring new life into the park while also deterring problems that rose to the surface. Examples of these, highlighted by neighbors, were rowdy behavior and drug abuse.
“Can I say is it going to deter the time of crime, no," Millen said. "But I can say the more activity you have, the more positive environment you have.”
On the other side of the court, some neighbors said the decision was out of bounds. Antonio Jenkins is a resident who lives by the park. She said the original courts served the community greatly.
“They should have had a meeting about this," Jenkins said, "instead of the HOA deciding what they want to do. This is a whole neighborhood. My grandkids play basketball.”
Jenkins said while there is another basketball court, the location isn't worth the use.
“Nobody will take their child in the court in the hot sun," Jenkins said.
Mecklenburg County Commissioner Mark Jerrell received an email about this change.
“One thing we have to realize is that area is extremely diverse," Jerrell said. “Some of the concern was around the issue of equity, what was the rationale. Are we trying to keep certain groups or kinds of people out?”
Millen, meanwhile, said she received an outpouring of support for the plans.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.