CAMBRIDGE — Members of the Cambridge pickleball-playing community packed the School Board’s Central Office meeting room ahead of a special session on Thursday.

The first of the meeting’s two agenda items, a seemingly routine approval of a grant to repave the Glasgow Street tennis courts, had been the cause of growing concern to the group, due to its apparent clause restricting any pickleball play on the courts for five years following repaving.

The group had been informed of the clause by representatives of the James G. Busick Tennis Foundation, which has successfully raised private funds to build and maintain the court complex since 1992.

To help resurface the tennis courts, the Busick Foundation again raised money, but also applied for grants from the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

The grant money, the Foundation informed the pickleball players, contained an exclusionary clause preventing pickleball lines and pickleball play on the courts for five years following the repaving, according to a letter sent to Board of Education members from Cambridge Maryland Pickleball on July 18.

During the July 18 School Board meeting, and an earlier County Council meeting, pickleball representatives were able to speak about the issue during closing public comment segments.

At the outset of the special meeting’s open session, Superintendent Jymil Thompson presented the Busick Foundation’s project to resurface the Glasgow Tennis Courts which had been received by County Council.

Thompson noted that it had come to the Board’s attention that the resurfacing effort would prohibit pickleball personnel from using the courts.

Board member Chris Wheedleton made a motion to approve the project, then told those gathered that he appreciated their passion for pickleball as voiced during the July 18 meeting.

“I also appreciate the County Council perspective presented through the Parks and Recreation Department,” he said.

Disclosing that he’d researched the particulars of the Glasgow Court area, Wheedleton added data points he’d learned, among them that the complex has existed on Board of Education-owned land since 1969, and that the county has leased the land where the complex sits since 2018.

Additionally, since 1992, the Busick Foundation has invested more than $315,000 in building and maintenance of the Courts. For the new resurfacing project, the Foundation will be contributing another $129,000, making a total $444,000 contributed, Wheedleton said.

“Due to this generosity the County is able to use those precious dollars for use in other priorities,” he said.

For the DCPS Board, major considerations include the courts being used for the Cambridge-South Dorchester High School tennis team, and the Maryland High School regional 1A and 2A tournaments, drawing 162 athletes from 21 schools across nine Eastern Shore counties and their families, making a positive economic impact, Wheedleton said.

“I also recognize that the Parks and Rec Department has identified 12 available pickleball courts throughout the county as options. They are also working on a plan to develop and build new pickleball courts, expressing their intent to work with us to put them on DCPS property,” Wheedleton said. “I look forward to them bringing that plan forward, which would add additional options and help all parties involved.”

Board Vice President Talibah Chikwendu, chairing the meeting on behalf of absent President Sheri Hubbard, called for a vote and announced that the motion had passed.

Facilities Manager Patrick Murphy rose to the podium to present the next agenda item, the Warwick Elementary School gymnasium air conditioning contract award. But his attempt to speak was interrupted by cries of “so that’s it,” “we are taxpayers,” “seems you had your mind made up before we even got here,” and “we’ll get a lawyer” from members of the audience.

Vice President Chikwendu told those interrupting the proceedings, “We are not responding, and we are not accepting public comment this evening.”

One man passed Murphy at the podium to directly address Board members, telling them, “Pickleball is skyrocketing while tennis is going down and you’re ignoring it.”

After Chikwendu again stated that public comment wasn’t accepted at that time, a woman asked, “Well, when will public comment be accepted?” Dr. Thompson replied that the next opportunity to speak would be during the regular Board meeting on Aug. 15.

As most of the crowd left the room, Pastor Joe Kelly, who had arrived with the pickleball contingent, apologized to the board for the comments and for “putting you in this position.” He also expressed confusion about the call for discussion then the lack of public comment.

Wheedleton explained that the discussion was to be among board members, and Kelly thanked him for providing clarity.

Joining the pickleball players streaming out into the hallway was former educator and tennis coach Bill Busick, eager to speak one on one and express his good will towards the pickleball group.

“I fully intended for pickleball to be played on the courts,” Busick said. “I don’t like the situation,” referring to the stringent USTA stipulation.

Pastor Joe Kelly asked Busick if he’d be willing to meet with him and together call USTA to offer a compromise solution, allowing the pickleball group to use just a few of the courts.

Busick agreed but told Kelly he doubted the group would change its position, suggesting several times to the group that his advice was to begin raising funds, as the Foundation had in 1992, to spur the County’s building of the new courts adjacent to the Glasgow complex.

Both Kelly and Busick agreed that the current price tag on doing so would likely begin at half a million dollars, a daunting figure for Dorchester County, Kelly pointed out.

Teri Eldenburg, the group’s pickleball ambassador, a voluntary USA Pickleball Association designation, joined the discussion, bringing up points presented in the July 18 letter, questioning the legality and ethics of accepting a grant for public land use that “excludes certain taxpayers” from using the courts in a way not inconsistent with the property.

Eldenburg reiterated the group’s proposal to lease the back four courts to the Cambridge Pickleball Association, currently applying for 501 (c) (3) status as a temporary solution until the dedicated courts are built.

She echoed support stated in the letter for “the Busick Foundation’s effort to keep the tennis courts in good, playable condition and do not begrudge them the opportunity to accept grant money to pay for upkeep.”

In a follow up email, Wheedleton pointed out facts “as the Board understands them:”

While DCPS owns the land involved, the entire project along with the grant are managed by the County.

Also, as the Board understands the grant, it doesn’t specifically prohibit citizens from playing pickleball on the newly resurfaced tennis courts; it does prohibit the painting of any lines other than tennis court lines for the first five years after resurfacing.

“It does not prohibit any use of the courts by any group. They just have to follow the rules set forth by the Recreation and Parks Department so they can be maintained properly and used by all,” Wheedleton wrote.