Follow-up survey, public hearing scheduled for commercial tennis, pickleball lessons at park courts

By Staff Reports

(O‘AHU) – Following an initial public survey earlier this year gauging public sentiment regarding outdoor play courts at your City parks, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) is inviting the public to participate in a more detailed survey and public hearing focusing on commercial tennis or pickleball lessons.

The public survey is now available online by visiting the case-sensitive website bit.ly/OutdoorCourtSurvey2 from now until 4:30 p.m. (HST) on Tuesday, July 5, 2022. Physical copies of the surveys will also be available at two locations for those without computer/internet access:

The public hearing will be held on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. (HST), both virtually and in-person at Kapolei Hale in Suite 312.

To join the virtual Zoom meeting, follow this link during that time: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81578326875?pwd=MFlkN1J4VDZPUnB0cW90TmF2UjRHQT09

For more information about the virtual Zoom meeting, visit the dedicated Parks & Rec pickleball court website ( bit.ly/OahuPickleball ) or the dedicated tennis court website ( bit.ly/OahuTennis ).

DPR recognizes that many O‘ahu residents would like the opportunity to take a tennis lessons, but may not be able to afford access to private clubs that provide this service. However, DPR also recognizes that there are a limited number of public courts, and new court activities such as pickleball are increasing the number of recreational users wanting to use the limited number of public courts. Accordingly, DPR is in the process of evaluating whether to designate tennis or pickleball lessons for a fee in City parks as an authorized commercial activity allowed on public courts; and if so, the specific rules and regulations that should be imposed upon these activities to ensure primary recreational use of the courts is respected and maintained.

The initial outdoor court survey focused more broadly on all uses of these popular park facilities and was launched on Jan. 18, 2022, finishing two weeks later on Feb. 1. Over 1,700 individual responses were received during that time, with the result of that survey still posted on the DPR’s pickleball and tennis websites or by clicking here.

For a copy of the existing Tennis Rules click here or visit the official DPR website (honolulu.gov/parks) and click the “Rules & Regulations” box.

If you need an auxiliary aid/service, other accommodations due to a disability, or an interpreter for a language other than English in reference to this announcement, please contact the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation at (808) 768-3003 on weekdays from 7:45 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. or email parks@honolulu.gov