Montclair Park

The park is a civic asset that we fund as a community and I strongly believe that the primary use should be for inclusive play. At their core, reservations are meant to exclude others, and should not be the primary use of the pickleball courts. That's why I'm asking you to update the policy to make one of the four courts reservable while making the other three available for public play.

Since 3 of the 4 courts are reservable, and are almost always reserved in the after work period when I play pickup, I feel like Montclair Park has lost some of its magic. I can't reliably go to the park and play spontaneously, and often when I do I wait up to an hour with 8 other people for a brief turn on the court.

When people play with reservations, myself included, they tend to just play with people they already knew instead of playing as a part of the greater community. The reservation system has disrupted that spontaneous and community-building vibe that makes pickleball so special. At their best parks bring people together, and the Pickleball Courts at Montclair Park have really done that for me.

So, I've got a request: can we make one of the four courts reservable and keep the other three for community play? Let's keep Montclair Park's pickleball courts uniquely Oakland – a place where inclusion and community shine.