ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Howard County Executive Calvin Ball today joined Department of Recreation & Parks Director Nick Mooneyhan and community members to celebrate the grand opening of six new dedicated pickleball courts at Alpha Ridge Park in Marriottsville. Photos from the event can be found on Howard County Government’s Flickr website.
When I first took office in 2018, Howard County had only two dedicated pickleball courts that were located at Atholton Park in Columbia. With the addition of these new courts at Alpha Ridge Park, Howard County residents can now enjoy 28 dedicated pickleball courts across our county-owned park. This investment is not only about supporting the fastest-growing sport in America. It is about creating welcoming spaces where residents can stay active, build friendships, enjoy healthy competition, and connect with their friends and neighbors. From inclusive playgrounds and premier athletic fields to trails, courts, community gathering spaces, and even an observatory that opens a window to the universe, our parks offer opportunities for residents of every age and ability to play, explore, connect, and thrive.
Expanding recreational opportunities for Howard County’s western residents, these new courts bring the total number of dedicated pickleball courts in County-owned parks to 28, allowing up to 112 players to simultaneously partake in the sport at one time across the county. In addition to the new courts at Alpha Ridge Park, picklers can also find six lighted pickleball courts at Blandair Regional Park – West in Columbia, six lighted pickleball courts at Rockburn Branch Park – West in Elkridge, eight lighted pickleball courts at Western Regional Park in Woodbine, and two pickleball courts at Atholton Park in Columbia.
Alpha Ridge Park truly represents the diversity of recreational opportunities our parks system provides. Whether residents are playing tennis or pickleball, skating on the inline hockey rink, competing on the soccer or softball fields, enjoying the playground, or gathering at the observatory to view the night sky, this park brings our community together.
“Pickleball is loads of fun – it not only gets you moving, but laughing, especially on windy days. It’s wonderful having all these courts such as Rockburn, Blandair, and now Alpha Ridge Park, to play on, not to mention the existing [pickleball courts at] parks like Western Regional and Atholton Parks. Greatly appreciate the County’s investment in facilities,” said Rick Struble, Treasurer, Howard County Pickleball Association.
Located at 11685 MD 99 in Marriottsville, Alpha Ridge Park features Howard County's only outdoor, regulation-size inline hockey rink and this fall, Recreation & Parks Adult Howard County Inline Hockey League (HCIHL) returns to the park, with the addition of the department's new Youth HCIHL. Alpha Ridge Park also features:
- The Howard Astronomical League Observatory, which house houses a 12-inch Newtonian telescope;
- Two tennis courts;
- Three ball diamonds;
- Two multipurpose fields;
- Two playgrounds;
- Two picnic pavilions; and
- A Solar System Walk
In addition to the new pickleball courts, Recreation & Parks also has additional planned improvements for Alpha Ridge Park, including the installation of shade structures and benches next to the new courts this fall and plans to touch up the park's recently resurfaced tennis courts.
To learn more about Alpha Ridge Park, as well as Recreation & Parks’ other neighborhood and regional parks, visit the department’s “Parks, Playgrounds & Trails” website.