Nerefsaan Saritopak

The Solon tennis courts at night. Photo taken prior to construction.

Construction has just finished for Solon’s newest addition to its community parks, which is a set of dedicated pickleball courts set to open on Oct. 25. The project, which required the removal of several trees, has sparked both excitement and concern among Solon residents.

While many welcome the growing popularity of pickleball, others worry about the environmental cost–such people include Rebecca Jacob, co-president of Solon High School’s Green Team.

“We were kind of a little bit disappointed to see the trees being removed to make way for the pickleball courts,” said Jacob. “Trees play a huge role in keeping our environment healthy. For example, just one mature tree absorbs at least 48 pounds of carbon dioxide every year.”

However, according to the Green Team, there are some solutions to the environmental concerns in order to balance recreation with sustainability. Isabelle McClung, Jacob’s fellow co-president on the Green Team said she has some ideas.

“This [the cutting down of trees] is an issue that they’re already currently discussing and the alternatives that [Solon] proposed and are currently working on, which we want to share,” McClung said. “There’s a new initiative they created to actually rebuild another mini forest in Solon.”

Solon Mayor Edward Kraus confirms this initiative.

“You don’t want to lose trees, but if you have to take some down, we [the city] found a couple areas where we can put some trees in.”

Still, some residents and environmental advocates said they believe there could have been a way to keep the trees while still expanding the courts.

“I think instead of cutting down the trees in front of the area, they could have pushed the courts behind the last set of tennis courts where the soccer field is,” McClung said.

Despite the concerns, some students in the community is enthusiastic about the addition, like local high school student and pickleball player Syon Thapa, who said he likes the ease of picking up pickleball for everyone.

“You can be short, tall, athletic, not athletic, and you still have a decent chance of having a good time with whoever you want,” Thapa said.

He believes the new courts could have health benefits for the community.

“This will encourage more people to go outside and be more physically active,” Thapa said.

According to Thapa, there’s a good reason for pickleball’s relatively recent rise in fame.

“Because of social media, whatever’s popular on social media, like pickleball for example, gains popularity,” Thapa said.

Solon Mayor Edward Kraus also said he hopes these courts will benefit the Solon community.

“Well, I think a lot of it had to do with the rise in popularity of the sport,” Kraus said. “We don’t have pickleball courts, we have tennis courts that we converted into pickleball, so every time that I would go up there, I would see a lot of people.”

He added that while the city understood the concerns about removing trees, officials hoped the replanting efforts would help residents see the balance between development and sustainability.

“Some of the people that were obviously against taking down the trees, I think it helped them better understand that sometimes you have to do it because if you want to make progress and build things, sometimes inevitably, trees come down,” Kraus said.

Beyond the courts, Kraus said the overall park renovations are meant to strengthen the community and encourage more public gatherings.

“Well, socially, I want people to come and enjoy it,” Kraus said. “I think that people, our community needs to really embrace it, enjoy it, whether you’re there to recreate, whether you’re there to go to the playground, take in a concert.”

As Solon prepares to open its new Pickleball Courts, its residents and leadership hope the project continues to reflect the city’s efforts to balance recreation, environmental care and community growth.

“Pickleball is one of the most accessible sports of all time,” Thapa said.