Pickleball court A homemade pickleball court is shown on Lake Crest Beach Road in Colchester on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Essex council has ordered residents to stop using the court and remove the concrete slab within 30 days. Photo by Millar Holmes-Hill /Windsor Star

What started as a well-intentioned project to bring neighbours together for a game of pickleball is now being dismantled literally after Essex town council ruled a resident-made court in Colchester must go.

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Its adorable, according to the mayor, but it cant stay.

The village court appeared earlier this summer on a piece of municipally owned land along Lake Crest Beach Road. Sandwiched between County Road 50 and the Lake Erie shoreline, the makeshift amenity quickly caught the attention of locals and, eventually, the town.

Its cute, yes but its also built on top of a water main and close to our wastewater system, Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy said. If emergency repairs were needed, wed have to demolish the court.

And if there was any damage to our drinking water system, the town could be really liable.

The town first learned about the court after a nearby resident raised concerns. Staff investigated and confirmed the court sits on public land slated for future sewage expansion.

Pickleball court The cement pad of a homemade pickleball court is shown on Lake Crest Beach Road in Colchester on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Photo by Millar Holmes-Hill /Windsor Star

The matter was addressed at this weeks council meeting, where councillors voted to give the resident behind the project 30 days to remove the court and restore the property to the towns satisfaction at their own expense.

Bondy said the court was installed by a local contractor who lives in the area. And while the quality of the construction isnt in question, the town said it has to consider legal and logistical consequences.

We want people to have recreational opportunities everywhere, but we cant give approval to something that was built without permission, Bondy said.

If somebody was playing on this court and got hurt, the town could be sued.

The decision to order the courts removal wasnt easy, Bondy told the Star. She called the situation a lose-lose for the town.

We really had no choice, Bondy told the Star. When it comes to precedent-setting, we cant allow residents to start putting private infrastructure on public property.

If we allowed it in one area, we would have to allow it in other areas.

The mayor acknowledged some disappointment from residents, but said the decision was made with the entire municipality in mind, especially after legal input from the town clerk who also serves as municipal legal counsel.

Bondy said she made the motion because its her responsibility to protect the financial interests of the town and not leave it exposed to liability.