TORRINGTON – The Torrington Police Department and Torrington Volunteer Fire Department faced off Monday morning in the inaugural “Guns & Hoses Pickleball Tournament” to mark the grand opening of new pickleball courts at Jirdon Park, with results still pending video review.

The tournament ran from 9 to 10 a.m. at 701 E 25th Ave., with Mayor Herb Doby officiating the friendly competition between the two public safety departments.

“We had a blast playing Pickleball with the TVFD team today,” said Torrington Chief of Police Matt Johnson. “There were a number of great rallies and lots of good-natured ribbing. We are still waiting for video review for a few of the plays.”

Johnson added the community was the clear winner from the event with the addition of the new courts.

“We are very blessed to have gotten this generous grant from Banner Health and Community Health Care Foundation,” Doby said during the opening ceremony. “Without your grant we wouldn’t have been able to put this together like we did.”

The new courts were constructed on the site of abandoned tennis courts built in the 1970s, according to city Project Engineer Mark Weis. The original courts had fallen into disrepair over nearly two decades of minimal use.

Banner Health and the Community Healthcare Foundation funded the project through Banner Health’s Better Together fundraising campaign. The initiative encourages employees to support community health initiatives beyond hospital walls.

“The Community Healthcare Foundation is a foundation providing money or sponsorships to anyone in the community who want to use it for health-related reasons,” said Jessica Wiedman, Community Healthcare Foundation President. “This is definitely a health-related reason, getting people out there and moving.”

The project transformed the cracked concrete surface into playable courts with multiple layers of rubberized coating and fine sand to prevent slipping. Landscaping Plus improved the fencing while Evergreen Courts of Fort Collins, Colorado, provided professional court surfacing.

Dr. Randolph at Torrington Community Hospital originally proposed the pickleball court concept as a way to expand health initiatives beyond the hospital’s four walls, according to CEO/CNO Ingrid Long.

Doby noted the courts receive heavy use, with local residents frequently playing doubles matches on each court. “I understand these pickleball courts, I’m not going to call it a fad because a fad comes and goes, I hope it stays forever but it gets a lot of use,” he said.

“Thanks to the community of Torrington for donating their space and being open to these crazy ideas we have,” Long said during the ceremony.

The mayor reflected on the site’s history, saying it served as a tennis court for approximately 50 years and was used as an ice skating rink in winter when firefighters would fill it with water.

“This was out in the country when I was a kid, and in the winter they used it as an ice skating ring because it had that curb,” Doby said. “This has quite the history. This is an excellent use for it.”

The courts are open to the public and located north of the Dale Jones Municipal Swimming Pool. City officials hope to add benches and tables if funding permits.