READ NOW: CITY OF BOISE SETTLES LAWSUIT
The City of Boise’s Department of Parks and Recreation works diligently to provide beautiful and accessible park spaces that improve the health and wellbeing of Boise residents. This includes efforts to find sustainable locations for pickleball play throughout the park system, while respecting other park uses. The popularity of pickleball has grown exponentially across the country since 2019, and the desire for places to play rapidly accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Boise, like other cities, addressed this increased demand by converting certain courts from tennis to pickleball. Unfortunately, some of these court conversions have not been as successful as we had hoped, and one such conversion led to litigation.
After carefully evaluating and balancing numerous city resources, the City of Boise chose to settle the lawsuit associated with the pickleball courts at Willow Lane Park. Settling this lawsuit allows Boise’s Parks and Recreation Department to focus on its mission of enhancing the quality of life for Boise residents by providing and maintaining accessible, safe, and vibrant open spaces and recreational facilities.
After reviewing the facts related to the Willow Lane Park litigation, Boise Parks and Recreation assessed other pickleball facilities and determined that Manitou Park is no longer a suitable site for pickleball. This decision has not been made lightly and is based on a variety of factors including but not limited to the ambient noise level in these areas, the number of courts at each facility, the noise emanating from those courts, the courts use patterns, and the proximity of the courts to homes.
Starting Tuesday, September 2, 2025, the courts at both park locations will be closed so work can begin to transition them back to tennis only. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. Boise Parks and Recreation will continue to look for opportunities to meet the needs of all park users.