In August 2023, we moved into a brand new neighborhood. In fact, we were one of the first families to move in on the only street that was developed at the time. More than a year and a half later, our neighborhood has grown a lot and is nearing the 75% completion phase.

This is our new home by D.R. Horton.

It didn’t take that long after we settled in our house that a neighborhood Facebook group was launched. If you have ever had the “pleasure” of being part of such a virtual community, you know what comes with it: drama, drama, drama.

Our group is filled with constant posts about dog poop pick up, package theft, and property lines…you know, probably the same stuff that inundates your neighborhood page, right?

Sidney and I never post or engage with the page, but we do get our popcorn every now and then.

But one unique re-occurring issue our neighborhood tackles is amenity use. Our community boasts a basketball sport court and a really nice pickleball area with two courts. If you know anything about the insane popularity of the latter sport, it probably goes without saying that the pickleball courts are in high demand. And believe it or not, they are in such high demand that countless people who don’t live in our neighborhood like to use them.

Sloan usung our neighborhood’s pickleball court.

Unauthorized use by non-residents of the pickleball area and basketball court is by far the #1 hot topic issue of our Facebook group. Each day it seems like neighbors are trying to solve the problem. The solutions are pretty predictable and re-used by now: make our neighborhood a gated community, post signs, install fences around the courts, require people to sign up for usage, hire security to roam the areas, distribute access cards to community members only, etc.

Beau riding his trike on the basketball court.

Well, over the weekend, something happened that really caught the ire of our neighborhood and increased the urgency of pursuing one of the above options…

Our basketball hoop backboard was shattered on Saturday (photo courtesy of Elk Meadows resident).

How sad is that?! Our nice basketball hoop had its backboard shattered over the weekend. Of course, people jumped to the conclusion that “outsiders” are responsible for this unfortunate incident. Is there proof? Of course not. But it is always easier to blame someone, correct?

Okay, let me retract my sarcasm for this paragraph. Seeing the backboard shattered was jarring. I couldn’t imagine my childhood basketball hoop meeting the same fate. What happened was destructive and removes a really cool resource that our neighborhood offers. How do we proceed now?

I took this photo on Sunday. Better not try to bank it off the glass!

Sidney and I were both in the camp that the public playing on the basketball court didn’t bother us too much. Our opinion was that it is better for people to play on the court instead of engaging in other risky activities. Does this incident change our thinking? Again, we don’t know if non-residents are even to blame.

But perhaps there should be some layer of protection. We would move if a gate was installed at the entrance to our neighborhood (even when they aren’t broken they provide no deterrence). Not a big fan of private security either. From my vantage point, maybe some type of surveillance system would be the best route. If people know that cameras are watching, it will most likely keep them honest.

By later Sunday, the remaining glass—both still attached to the backboard and all the pieces on the ground—were removed.

Am I going to offer that suggestion on our neighborhood’s Facebook page? No sir! I don’t find that outlet to be very productive. But maybe I will find some other way to voice my opinion. Until then, I hope the backboard can be replaced. Don’t Blink.