Residents suggest pickleball court for park
Council told the game ‘ friendly for any age’
A group of Dormont residents are vying for the construction of a pickleball court in the borough.
Several residents spoke at council’s Monday virtual meeting in favor of bringing pickleball to Dormont’s park off of Banksville Road.
“I have so much fun playing it,” said Betsa Siso, who added that the game is “friendly for any age.”
According to the USA Pickleball Association, the sport combines elements of tennis, badminton and pingpong and can be played indoors or outdoors on a badmintonsized court with a slightly modified tennis net. Pickleball is played with a paddle and a plastic ball with holes and can be played as doubles or singles.
“Bringing pickleball to Dormont would be a huge blessing to the community,” Ms. Siso said.
Amanda Pollock said she loves playing pickleball and it would be a “perfect addition” to Dormont. She often goes to other places such as Schenley Park, where there is a court, to play the sport.
“It’s a family- friendly sport,” Kelly Altares. She added that because of COVID- 19, “so many folks are leery to go into closed spaces” and pickleball is a safer option because it can be played outside..
“It’s community involvement,” she said. “It’s a healthy sport.”
Armando Ocando said the group would like to start working on a proposal for a pickleball court in cooperation with the Dormont Athletic Booster Association. He said he would like to see something in the works this year.
Council President Jeff Fabus said pickleball will likely be discussed at the Sept. 14 recreation board meeting.
In other matters, council approved a request from Simon’s Food Concessions to set up food trailers in Dormont Park for a trial basis of two weeks. Simon’s will be required to pay an overnight fee of $ 10 each night to park the food trucks in a portion of the parking lot. No date was given for when the food trucks will be in the park.
And Neighborhood Aid, a partnership between Mt. Lebanon and
Dormont created in response to the COVID- 19 pandemic, is scaling down its operations, but will still be available to residents in need of assistance.
Dormont council member
Joanna Bouldin said the number of calls to the program has decreased in the past month. The service started in the spring to assist residents in Mt. Lebanon and Dormont with services like grocery shopping and prescription delivery.
“Since calls are down, we are moving to a message system,” Ms. Bouldin said.
Callers will still be able to reach Neighborhood Aid, but instead of a live operator, the caller can leave a message and someone will get back to them within 24 hours.
For assistance, residents can call 412- 253- 4104 or go to www. neighborhoodaid. org.
Dormont is also offering a “free pantry” for residents in need. It is located in the basement of the municipal building.
Residents can request a box of food and supplies via the pantry’s Facebook Page at https:// www. facebook. com/ groups/ 797122797078767/ or through the Neighborhood Aid program.
The free pantry is also in need of donations of food supplies, cleaning products and personal care items like body wash and toilet paper. A donation box is in the lobby of the municipal building at 1444 Hillsdale Ave.