Municipal Alliance hosts pickleball tournament

Debbie O’Brien, coordinator of the West Milford Municipal Alliance, said New Jersey increased the group’s annual funding by 75 cents from a year earlier.

Because there always are more community projects and services to support, the Municipal Alliance, which sponsors drug-abuse prevention programs, hosted its first fundraiser in many years: a pickleball tournament Saturday, April 13 at the Recreation Center.

Seventy-four people signed up to play in the double-elimination tournament, with cash prizes for the intermediate and advanced level winners and a gift basket, courtesy of West Milford Chiropractic, for the winners of the beginner level.

”It was a good start for our first year,” said O’Brien, adding that the members will decide whether to do the tournament again next year.

They chose pickleball because of its popularity among township residents, she said. Members also hoped to make people aware of what the Municipal Alliance does.

Dorrie Torp, secretary of the Municipal Alliance who helped coordinate the tournament, thanked the many volunteers, including West Milford High School teacher Jennifer Metcalf and her students and Daniel Kochakji and Susan Pappas of the Recreation Department.

The Municipal Alliance, which sponsors the National Night Out community celebration and the Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D.) program in schools, also receives funding from the county and state but that amount has been flat for about five years, O’Brien said.