HOWELL – Howell Township has officially opened its brand new pickleball courts at Deerwood Park in the Ramtown section of the community.
After a long awaited two years of renovations, the construction of the recreational pickleball courts have finished and the courts are finally up and running.
The park, which is home to the Howell South Little League, offers one large play structure (ages 5 to 12), one smaller play structure (ages 3 to 5), baby swings, four little league fields, batting cages, two roller hockey rinks and a refurbished skate park.
The Township first began renovations of the park in 2022. Plans consisted of removing the second hockey rink and converting it into basketball courts, Director of Community Development and Deputy Township Manager Matthew R. Howard said. This will include two new full-size courts, a smaller “kids-size” court, and a half court.
There was also a skate park located on the right side of the park, which was ultimately removed and transformed into the now existing pickleball courts.
“The Township is committed to always improving our recreational facilities,” Howard had previously said when renovations at Deerwood Park first began.
The decision to change the hockey rink and the skate park was due to those amenities being underutilized, Howard said.
“We also noticed that pickleball has become extremely popular and the township does not currently have any courts for use by the general public,” Howard said.
Howard also explained that after driving through neighborhoods, they noticed many homes had basketball nets in the driveways and streets. The Township decided to rehabilitate the existing facilities in order to provide new recreational opportunities.
All the renovations for Deerwood Park were supported by grant money the Township received. Howard said $74,000 was made available to them through New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.
The four pickleball courts officially opened to the public at the end of June.
The courts are open from 7 a.m. to sunset and are open to players of all levels, from beginners to experts.
While there is no reservation system at this time, Township officials said they could enforce one if demand for the pickleball courts “is consistently high.”
“We understand there is at least one online pickleball group that has formed for Ramtown; we are sharing the information for any players who may be interested. The app is called Team Reach, the name of the group is Ramtown Pickleball and the group code is PurplePark,” officials said.
Officials noted that if popularity continues to increase, they will look to construct courts in other parks throughout the Township.
In addition to the new amenities, Township Manager Joseph Clark said they are still looking to resurface and paint the remaining outdoor skating rink.
