Seaside Heights To Add More Pickleball Courts With New Funds

Seaside Heights’ basketball courts, which are slated to be converted to pickleball courts. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Seaside Heights officials will move forward with a plan floated nearly a year ago to add more pickleball courts to town, as the sport continues to gain ever-more momentum at the Jersey Shore and beyond.

The borough council accepted a $68,000 grant to convert the basketball courts near the Hugh J. Boyd Elementary School to pickleball courts in order to increase the number of courts available to the public. As it currently stands, Seaside Heights has a number of courts that can support pickleball play following a conversion of a number of existing tennis courts located up the street from Boyd school.

The borough sought $147,000 for the conversion of the courts and ultimately received $68,000. Mayor Anthony Vaz said the courts will be completely converted as part of the plan; the basketball alignment would be removed in favor of pickleball facilities, markings and equipment. Students from the school would presumably still be able to access the area during recess and other time periods, assuming the courts were not reserved.

---

Get Daily Island News Updates Your email address:* Please enter all required fields Correct invalid entries

Pickleball courts are in heavy demand locally, with Lavallette’s courts having emerged as one of the most popular destinations for the sport in recent years. Toms River has built its own courts as well in Ortley Beach, and Seaside Park residents have also pushed for pickleball facilities to be built on a space that was taken up by the long-shuttered elementary school on SW Central Avenue.

Seaside Heights’ basketball courts, which are slated to be converted to pickleball courts. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Seaside Heights’ basketball courts, which are slated to be converted to pickleball courts. (Photo: Shorebeat)

The Seaside Heights borough council accepted the funding from the state at a meeting last week, which will allow the town to accept bids for the project.

“We now have an actual agreement with the state, and now our financial officer can insert it into the budget,” said Borough Administrator Christopher Vaz.

Demand has been steady for use of the pickleball courts that have already been made available in Seaside Heights.

“I see it flourishing,” the mayor said of the future facility. “There is a lot of demand for more space to play. Every day when I drive past our current courts, they are full.”