City Approves Pickle Ball Court On Existing Half Tennis Court Area At Laurelhurst Park

 

Plans are underway for converting the existing half tennis court with a backboard, adjacent to the four tennis courts at the Park.  The court is part of the Seattle Parks Department. 

Several neighbors, Frank Chiappone and Wendy Kelley ,have had their plans already approved by the City through the small improvements project.  Frank said that neighbor input was not required during the approval process "with no change to the structure of the court or impact on how it’s currently being used as a practice court for tennis, soccer, lacrosse and others." 

The group has been working on this proposal for the past year. Several pickball players use the court from time to time bringing their own portable nets. 

Frank added:

 All we’re doing is adding a sport court surface and pickleball lines to the existing concrete which will actually enhance the space for tennis players without limiting their ability to use the wall or the court for practice. As for the net, it has wheels that are clearly visible at the base and can easily be moved by one person, so while we certainly can put signs up to inform folks the net can be rolled away, it will be fairly self-evident. We use these same nets on tennis/pickleball courts around the city and people simply move them on and off the court as needed.

The group said that currently the cost is $12,100 which includes court resurfacing, painting lines and purchasing semi-permanent nets. 

In addition, $4,000 will be raised to promote pickleball in other areas.  Currently they are considering providing funding for semi-permanent nets for courts in Rainer Valley.  

So the total cost required for the project is $16,000.  Chiappone is donating $3,000 which will be matched by his employer .  The Seattle Metro Pickelball Association will manage the fund raising effort.  Currently the closest courts are in Mapleleaf and Greenlake.  

Frank told the Laurelhurst Blog that the court is the perfect size for a pickleball court and he provided these specifics:

• We have been working directly with Seattle Parks on this project and met with the Laurelhurst Community Club which placed information in a recent newsletter. No other broader outreach has been done to gather input/feedback
• We will use a heavy-duty rolling pickleball net that can be pushed to the side when not in use for pickleball. Though even when it is in place it will not prohibit anyone from still using the wall for tennis, soccer, lacrosse, etc. 
• The current lines are for pickleball, but what’s currently being used is temporary parking tape that does not hold up well against rain and bad weather and is in constant need of repair.
• The plan is to resurface the existing concrete with an acrylic court resurfacer and then paint a single pickleball court oriented north and south using sport surface paint in two colors (see artist rendition below)
• The concrete wall that runs along the east side of the court will not be replaced.

The public can make a tax-deductible donation here. When $12,500 is reached, construction will begin.  

For further information contact Wendy Kelly: wendygkelley@hotmail.com and Frank Chiappone: frankchip@hotmail.com.