Pickleball courts likely in Sequim by year’s end

Pickleball players are likely to have a place of their own by year’s end in Sequim.

Members of the Sequim Picklers and its Pickleball Facility Committee announced this week they anticipate securing enough funding for eight tournament-quality courts in Carrie Blake Park.

Katinka Nanna, treasurer for the group, said they’ve raised about $175,000 of the approximate $196,000 needed with some grants still waiting on award notices such as $34,000 from Clallam County’s Lodging Tax Fund.

“We’re confident it’s going to happen this year,” she said.

“We’re in the process of putting drawings and specifications together.”

The City of Sequim’s assistant city manager Joe Irvin confirmed Nanna’s announcement about the project at the Sequim City Council meeting on Feb. 13.

“Once we finalize plans for the new roadway project (into Carrie Blake Park) and pickleball courts, we plan to go out to bid and see if the bids come in that match the budget,” Irvin said.

“We have every intention to have this done this year.”

Players have made a temporary home out of the basketball courts at the Sequim Community School along Third Avenue and Fir Street. However, players say last school year they were asked not to play Monday-Thursday while Olympic Peninsula Academy was in session.

Ruby Pugh, co-chairman for the facility committee, said the courts aren’t safe with cracks and obstructions such as basketball hoops. They also put up and takedown temporary nets each session.

“We’ve had incidents where you can slip on the pavement, but these new courts are meant for pickleball,” she said.

Now the Sequim Picklers play mostly on weekends at the school and in the Sequim Boys &Girls Club during the winter. They’ve also begun ongoing lessons on Tuesday afternoons in the club.

New courts will be built to the east of the Sequim Skate Park and next to the planned new entrance to Carrie Blake Park next to Trinity United Methodist Church.

Efforts to build dedicated pickleball courts started in December 2014 with the formation of the Sequim Picklers’ facility’s committee. Later the group partnered with the City of Sequim which provided $51,000 and court space, Sequim Family Advocates to fundraise under its 501(c)3 umbrella, the Albert Haller Foundation which provided $10,000 and the Myrtle Walkling Foundation $2,000, and multiple businesses, groups and residents to raise funds.

Players also reported in at every Sequim City Council meeting in the past two-plus years about progress with the courts and urged city councilors to move up the project.

Pugh said they are hopeful to have the courts ready as soon as August but bids and construction are determined by the City of Sequim. However, Irvin said the roadway does not need to be constructed at the same time as the courts but it would be more cost-effective.

When the courts are finished, Nanna said, “They are going to be a big addition for Sequim.”

Charlie Pugh, vice president of the Sequim Picklers, said new courts allow them to hold bigger tournaments that could run upwards of four days with the potential for players coming in from up and down the West Coast.

“We think a lot of players would come here,” he said.

New courts could bring in more visitors and revenue to Sequim, Pugh said, but he and others find pickleball also has a great health benefit for people of all ages.

Players plan to continue outreaching about pickleball and its benefits, he said.

Nanna presumes pickleball’s popularity will only grow with new courts, she said.

Currently, Sequim Picklers consists of 154 members.

Donations to the courts/club are tax deductible. For more information, contact Katinka Nanna at 681-8554 (katinka@nikola.com) or visit www.sequimpicklers.net to download donation forms.

Pickleball player Lee Bowen makes a hit in 2013 at the Sequim Picklers’ current play place at Sequim Community School. Players anticipate construction finishing on eight new courts in Carrie Blake Park as early as this summer. Sequim Gazette file photo by Matthew Nash