MONROE COUNTY, Pa. — The tennis courts at Mountain View Park in Pocono Township are a favorite spot for Dacosta Smith and his family.
"We always come out here when the weather is good. We've been playing out here for 20 years or so," said Smith.
But in recent years, a new game has taken over the court.
"People are playing pickleball now. Everywhere we go, it seems like it's picking up steam and pace," said Smith.
The lines are painted to go back and forth between the sports.
When Newswatch 16 stopped by the park, tennis players didn't have to share with pickleball players, but that's not always the case.
"There have been times when we've had to wait a little bit, but that's what it is. We'll either go somewhere else, or we will wait," said Smith.
Township officials say the basketball courts at Mountain View Park aren't used much anymore. So, it's now set to become a space dedicated to pickleball.
"This was a two-court basket system since the '70s, and once we put the new basketball courts in at TLC PARK, it took a lot of traffic off of this court," explained township manager Jerrod Belvin.
Construction started this week to renovate the space into three pickleball courts and one basketball court.
"You see the courts here, they are shared, right, so more people seem to be playing more pickleball than tennis. So, if they have more courts to play on, that's a win-win for everyone," said Smith.
"We're going to put in some stadium seating in the back so that people can come enjoy and spend time with their families. We're also looking at a reservation system as well with our current rec deck system so you can reserve the courts," said Belvin.
Belvin says the new pickleball courts are expected to be done by the end of August.