Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry About 40 members of Warren Pickleball Inc. sit in the audience of the Warren City Council meeting on Monday in support of resolutions that would increase pickleball opportunities in the city.

The council chamber was full of pickleball supporters on Monday.

They got what they wanted, but at the same time, the handful of tennis players in attendance didn’t go away empty-handed.

Council unanimously approved two pickleball-related items Monday.

“We have several Warren Pickleball players here in support of the Betts Pickleball project,” John Marti said. “We look forward to council taking positive action tonight so that Warren Pickleball can move forward.”

Warren Pickleball Inc. received that approval and will move ahead with plans to develop dedicated pickleball courts at the western end of Betts Park near the bocce courts. The city will add pickleball lines to the third tennis court at Beaty Park until that work is complete.

The lines were a concern to the tennis players at the meeting.

Pat Carlson spoke representing tennis players in the community and she applauded Warren Pickleball for being able to mobilize so many members to add to the city’s recreational opportunities.

“Many of the youth in Warren go to Beaty to play tennis,” Carlson said. “There’s a lot more to the community than the large group of pickleball players.”

There are dedicated tennis courts at Betts Park. Those courts are being used for high school tennis practice and competition in spring and fall and much of the City of Warren community cannot walk to them, she said

“We didn’t support it for pickle lines to be painted on all the courts,” she said. “They’re not regulation once you paint those lines on there. We’ve surrendered two of the courts.”

“Most of our youth spent two years already this decade not being able to play much” due to COVID-19, Carlson said. “Now, we have a community playground that can’t properly be used for tennis.”

The members of council heard Carlson. Council Member John Wortman proposed an amendment to the language in the agreement that would provide for the lines painted on the final court at Beaty to be removed.

“The third tennis court at Beaty Park will be lined for pickleball play until termination of the agreement… ,” Wortman said. “Just for this summer, while we’re waiting for the new courts to be constructed at Betts. The lines will then be removed.”

“I appreciate an effort to make it agreeable to all of us,” Carlson said. “There is compromise there.”

With both pickleball and tennis lines on the Beaty courts, the city passed a ‘fair-play’ policy.

Council designated some pickleball courts for open play and some for drop-in play.

But, there is no pecking order giving one sport or the other priority. All three are first-come, first-served.

“If anyone is playing tennis on the court, they have the court until they choose to exit the court,” Wortman said of a proposed amendment to the agreement. “My intention is to not have someone who is playing tennis be removed.”

The amendment and the agreement both passed unanimously.

Wortman said the pickleball enhancements are “a way to preserve what we have in the city of Warren… while also allowing for the exceptional growth that we have seen. This growth can lead to economic development in our community.”