What to do (5 minutes)
- Go to the City of Bothell Capital Facilities Plan Survey web page.
- Click on “Take Survey”.
- When asked “As we plan for projects related to community and recreation, what is most important to you?“, please rank “Inclusive multi-generational play areas” as your top priority.
- When asked “As we plan for projects related to community and recreation, what is most important to you?“, choose “Athletic facilities, both indoor and outdoor“
- When asked “What are your top 3 priorities for capital facilities?“, please rank “Quality of life and recreation” as your top priority.
- To the open question “If your priorities for capital facilities were not listed above, please share them here“, ask for “A cluster of 8 to 12 pickleball courts with lights. (See PROS Plan 2020, p.84)”. Don’t skip the “Pros Plan” part. It is there to stress that this is not a totally frivolous request since it’s actually part of their own plans.
- Complete the survey and ask a few friends to do the same.
The details
The City of Bothell wants to know where they should spend your tax money next.
They update their Capital Facilities Plan (CFP) every two years. The 7-year plan prioritizes millions of dollars’ worth of capital improvement projects, including those related to buildings, parks, bridges, roads, and water/sewer/stormwater pipes. Projects are drawn from existing plans, including the Imagine Bothell Comprehensive Plan, Canyon Park Subarea Plan, Downtown Subarea Plan, Wastewater Comprehensive Plan, 2021 Storm and Surface Water Master Plan Update, and PROS Plan 2020. That last one, the PROS Plan 2020, is their Parks Recreation and Open Space Plan.
Fortunately for us, the Bothell PROS Plan talks about building a cluster of outdoor pickleball courts.
Bothell currently has no dedicated pickleball courts available within public parks, but there are several multi-sport courts that accommodate this use. Outdoor pickleball should be considered at new community parks. Pickleball courts can be more successful if clustered as a sports complex rather than spread individually throughout the park system since this
grouping promotes leagues, tournaments and related social interaction.
— Bothell PROS Plan 2020, p.84.
So, let’s ask for a cluster of 8 to 12 pickleball courts with lights.