Eight new pickleball courts open at Cousler Park in Manchester Township

Eight new pickleball courts officially opened at Cousler Park in Manchester Township on Aug. 14 with a special ceremony.

Adding a new set of courts to the area has been a high priority for residents who have attended the monthly Board of Supervisor meetings, voicing the need as the sport takes off and citing crowded conditions at courts in other municipalities.

“This is probably a little unique to have this type of ceremony and this type of fanfare for a park amenity, but the information/feedback we have received from the pickleball community, we felt this was appropriate,” township manager Tim James said opening the ceremony to a large crowd of cheering fans, some of whom were already playing on the courts before the official opening and then filled the courts again after a ribbon was cut.

The eight fresh courts, white-lined over crisp blue and gray paint, is complemented by two open structures that shield players from the overhead elements. The new courts are about in the center of the 110-acre park and are adjacent to restrooms that are open during park hours.

The township began thinking about adding the courts before the pandemic, James said, but started ramping up the build last year. The cost of installing the courts came to about $350,000.

More: New creekside park land, mill with Civil War history acquired in Manchester Township (May 2023)

The park began when Morgan E. Cousler donated 52 acres to Manchester Township in 1976 to start the park, though the land did serve baseball leagues before that time, James said. Over the next 40-plus years it has doubled in size, now offering many sports amenities and pavilions.

“It’s taken a long time, but we have come to this 110 acres and we are very proud of it to serve the recreational needs of the Manchester township community and York County as a whole,” James said, adding that a recent traffic study over a Friday through Sunday weekend in July totalled about 30,000 visitors to the park.

Cousler Park is open from 6 a.m. to sunset.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: Eight new pickleball courts open at Cousler Park in Manchester Township