Category: Alert

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Alert

Vote for New Sammamish Pickleball Courts

What is going on?

In Sammamish’s previous survey and open houses regarding these two parks you said you wanted pickleball courts.

Now Sammamish has developed three design proposals for each park, and they are awaiting your feedback. 

Of the three proposals for Beaton Hill Park, the first one has no pickleball courts, the second one has two dedicated pickleball courts, and the third one has four.

None of the current designs for Big Rock Park South include pickleball courts.

What can YOU do?

Please vote for Beaton Hill Park concept #3, “Playful Space for Everyone” while completing this survey. You don’t need to be a resident to take the survey

Give a score of 5 to question #12 to indicate that you favor the Beaton Hill Park concept #3 with 4 dedicated pickleball courts.

Make sure you give a score of less than 5 to all other alternatives.

Use question #15 to express your other wishes regarding pickleball courts at either park. If you would like more than 4 courts, or would like to see lights on the courts, write it here.

Where can I learn more?

Learn more about this project here.

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Alert

Advise on the Future of Kirkland’s Parks System

The Kirkland City Council is seeking community volunteers to serve on a Parks Funding Exploratory Committee (PFEC).

Community feedback over the past few years has shown a strong desire to add an aquatic center and additional indoor recreation space in Kirkland. Community members also want year-round access to restrooms, a strengthened trail network, better lighting and parking at facilities, increased maintenance of parks, pickleball courts, diverse and inclusive recreation programming, and more.

The purpose of the PFEC is to make recommendations to the City Council in Spring 2023 regarding potential parks ballot measure(s) for placement on the November 2023 ballot.

PFEC will meet twice a month on Thursday evenings from September 2022 through February 2023. Interested community members are invited to apply to join the PFEC. The online application will be open until August 25, 2022. Committee members will be announced the first week of September.

For more information and to apply, visit www.kirklandwa.gov/parks2023ballot

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Alert

Ask for Pickleball Courts at Bellevue Airfield Park

What?

Could it be that you would like to see twelve or more collocated pickleball courts at Airfield Park? With lights? With a roof?

How?

To let Bellevue Parks know:

  • Email the project manager Ken Kroeger (kkroeger@bellevuewa.gov), and tell him what kind of pickleball facility you would like to see at Airfield Park.
  • Attend the first of three public engagement Zoom meetings on Tuesday, July 26th from 6:30 to 8:00pm. Remember to register ahead of time.

Make sure you share a vivid picture of what you would like to see.
Don’t just say “I would like Airfield Park to have pickleball courts.“
Do say something like “I would like Airfield Park to have 8 or more public regulation-size dedicated outdoor pickleball courts, with lights, and under a cover, a lot like the public pickleball facility at Opelika.“

Why?

Bellevue currently has only one set of very busy dedicated outdoor pickleball courts, located at the Bellevue International School. We will lose those courts when the school expands its campus. If we want other dedicated courts, we have to ask for them.

More information

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Alert

Bellevue City Council Asks What You Want

Here is your chance to tell them (again) that you would like one or more pickleball complexes with 12 or more dedicated, lighted and covered pickleball courts.

Fill in their short online questionnaire. It only takes a few minutes.

Click here for more details.

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Alert News

Action Alert: Bothell Capital Facilities Plan Survey

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.

Categories
Alert News

No New Courts in Kirkland?

You have been heard

Kirkland has been gathering community input for over a year, asking us what we would like to see in their upcoming Parks plan. Those of you who were invited to the Focus Group Meetings were heard. The same is true for those of you who participated in the Community Conversations and in the Everest neighborhood online survey.

Consider this

The plan has about 20 pages of goals and objectives. one of those is to consider adding pickleball at Juanita Beach Park.

Level of Service

The plan suggests that Kirkland should have 1 tennis court per 3,000 people and estimates it has a current surplus of 3 tennis courts, which will be go down to no surplus tennis courts by 2026.

Unfortunately, the plan does not propose a similar analysis for pickleball courts. Why should the planning process be different for pickleball than for tennis?

You have not been funded

The plan draft concludes with Capital Improvement Projects divided into two lists.

The first list contains several funded projects that will cost $19,758,400.

The second, much larger, list of unfunded project contains an item titled “Construct New Pickleball Courts” with a price tag of $97,500.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to convince the Kirkland Parks Department to move the construction of new pickleball courts from the unfunded list to the funded list.

What should I do?

Ask that the Parks Department fund the construction of new pickleball courts. It’s in their plan. It’s cheap. They will not fund it unless enough people ask for it.

Ask that the Parks Department define “Level of Services” for pickleball. Why predict the need for tennis courts but not for pickleball courts?

How should I do it?

Email PlayItForward@kirklandwa.gov today.

Attend the virtual Public Hearing on May 25, 2022 at 7:00PM

Where can I find more information?

Here

Categories
Alert

Help Plan the Future of Redmond Pickleball

Help Remond plan for pickleball growth over the next 10 to 20 years.

The previous plan dates back to 2017 and barely mentions pickleball at all. Let’s make sure the upcoming plan puts Redmond on the pickleball map.

What can I do?

  • Fill out this questionnaire by Wednesday, May 16th.
  • Attend the upcoming online community meeting on June 1st.
  • Contact Jeff Aken, Redmond Park Planning Manager, via email or by phone. Share with him your vision for pickleball facilities in Redmond, such as a pickleball complex with 12+ lighted courts. Send him pictures of other pickleball facilities that you admire and that you would like to see Redmond replicate.
  • Talk to other pickleball players who work, live or play in Redmond. Ask them to get involved. We’ll need everyone to pitch in.

That’s not enough. How else can I help?

Would you like help to organize Redmond pickleball players in their efforts to get pickleball facilities included in the upcoming Redmond Parks Plan? If so, contact the Seattle Metro Pickleball Association and we’ll put you in touch with people who have had similar experiences in Seattle, Bellevue, and Mercer Island. They will share their experience with you.

Where can I find more information?

Find out more about Redmond’s PARCC plan at https://www.letsconnectredmond.com/parcc.

Categories
Alert

Seattle Public Pickleball Meeting #2

Seattle Parks’ second of two public meetings on the future of outdoor pickleball will take place online on Wednesday, May 25, at 4:30pm. You can register for it here.

What is the purpose of this meeting?

Seattle Parks has refined their plans since the first meeting. They are going to show you the latest iteration and then ask for your feedback.

This will be the last public meeting organized by Seattle Parks regarding their new outdoor pickleball plans.

What will be the format of this online meeting?

SPR will present their current plan. The presentation might be followed by a poll. Then the participants will be divided in breakout rooms where they will have a chance to express their views about the plan and anything else they want to say. Each breakout room will have a facilitator that will take notes. The five breakout rooms will represent different sections of the city, probably Northeast, Northwest, Central, Southeast, and Southwest.

What is in Seattle Parks’ current plan?

We will find out at the meeting. We expect the current plan to contain:

  1. Additional court lines for 50 or more pickleball courts on existing tennis courts across 12 or more locations. throughout the city. Some of these court lines will be added this summer. Some of them will be added as the tennis courts are being resurfaced.
  2. Locations throughout the city where pickleball can be played in the evening thanks to artificial lights. Some of these lights will have to be added, so it will take time.
  3. Two or three locations where a couple of existing tennis courts that currently see very little use will be converted into dedicated pickleball courts
  4. Recommendations for two locations where to build two sets of 8 (or more) brand new dedicated pickleball courts NOT built on top of existing tennis courts. One location in the north and another one in the south. There will NOT be any funding for these dedicated pickleball courts in the plan.

How can I help?

1. Plan to attend the meeting on Wednesday, May 25, at 4:30pm. Register for it here today. Let everyone know about it.

2. Explore your neighborhood courts. Find your local public tennis courts. Ask other pickleball players for help with this. Which courts would you play on if they had pickleball court lines? Which ones already have lights? Do these lights turn on? Do they provide sufficient light to play or are they too old to be useful? Do your research ahead of the meeting since you’ll be asked for your opinion only once.

3. Explore your community courts. The city has a few larger sets of community tennis courts. They are listed below. Which ones would you play on if they had pickleball court lines? Do your research ahead of the meeting since you’ll be asked for your opinion only once.

Northeast:

  • Meadowbrook (6)
  • Laurelhurst (4)

Northwest

  • Bitter Lake (4) – Already lined for pickleball
  • Green Lake East (3) – Already lined for pickleball
  • Upper Woodland Park (4)

Central

  • David Rodgers Park (Queen Anne)
  • Magnolia Playfield (4) – Already lined for pickleball
  • Volunteer Park (4)

Southeast

  • Jefferson (4)
  • Rainier (4)
  • Rainier Beach (4)

Southwest

  • Hiawatha (3)
  • Solstice Park (6)

What else should I ask for?

1. Make sure that the plan includes lighted courts in your section of the city.

Try to find out if the lights are in good shape. Not all lights are created equal.

2. Ask for lines that we can clearly see under all lighting conditions.

Don’t you think pickleball players deserve court lines that are as easy to see as the tennis court lines?

Seattle Parks has been adamant to not disturb tennis players by making sure that the tennis lines stand out and the pickleball lines recede.

They spent years refusing to give us anything but green pickleball lines on green tennis courts.

After someone complained that this was not ADA-compliant, they switched to blue lines on green tennis courts. This is better but still not good enough as you can see in the pictures below. (Click on the pictures to see a larger version.)

Can you see the baseline?
Can you see the baseline?
Can you see the baseline?
Can you see the baseline?
Can you easily see the blue lines?

We deserve lines that we can see. Privileging tennis lines over pickleball lines might have made some sense in 2017. In 2022, it is not acceptable.

3. Ask that Seattle Parks reserve specific times for “open play” pickleball on some of the dual use courts in every part of town.  For instance, “Priority for open play pickleball, every day from 9am to noon, at the Green Lake courts.”

The pickleball community is thriving and growing through Open Play. If Seattle Parks truly cares about healthy communities, it needs to support Open Play.

Are tennis players invited to attend this meeting?

They were invited to the first meeting. Inviting them to this one as well would make sense since the plan will propose adding pickleball court lines to some tennis courts and they might want to provide feedback on that subject.

Categories
Alert

Action Alert Sammamish: Big Rock Park South and Beaton Hill Park

What Should I Say?

Don’t just tell them you want more pickleball courts. Instead, describe your vision. How many courts? Are they side by side? Is there a fence around the courts? Is there a fence between the courts? Are there lights to allow for evening play? Is there a place to wait for a game outside the courts? Bring a picture of existing courts you like to show them.

Where and When Should I Say It?

At the City’s Earth Day Event

Find the Parks’ information booth at the City’s Earth Day event on Saturday, April 23 from 11:00AM to 2:00PM, at Beaver Lake Lodge, 25201 SE 24th St, Sammamish, WA 98075

At the Big Rock Park South Open House

Go to the open house at the future Big Rock Park South on Saturday, April 23 from 3:00PM to 5:00PM, at 22104 SE 20th St, Sammamish, WA 98075

At the first Master Plan Public Workshop

Tune in to the City’s first virtual public workshop on Thursday, April 28 from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. 

To join the Zoom webinar, go here. If you need a passcode it is 171885.

Sammamish-BRBH-Flyer-FinalDownload

Right now, via the City’s online Survey

You can find the survey here.

Remember to use the open-ended questions to describe your vision for pickleball courts. See the What Should I Say? section above for more details.

Where can I find more information?

The Beaton Hill & Big Rock Park South Master Plan web page has much information about the master plan and will be updated throughout the process.

Shelby Perrault is the Project Manager (425) 295-0589.

Categories
Alert

Submit a Question to the Seattle Parks District before Thursday 4/14 5:00pm

What?

The Seattle Parks District is working on their 6-year funding plan.

Ask them a question about their plan. Type it below and click the “Submit button”, or go to https://bit.ly/April14BPRC.

Did you click the “Submit” button?

To read up about the plan go here.

What should I ask?

You should ask whatever you want. If you need inspiration here are some sample questions:

  • The Park District Funding Plan calls for the creation of 16+ dedicated lighted pickleball courts across 2 locations. Is this funded in the current plan? If not, how is it going to be funded?
  • The Park District Funding Plan calls for “Making critical repairs to the only public indoor tennis facility”. Is this funded in the current plan?
  • Could some of the Park District Funding Plan’s “Racket Sport Maintenance & Expansion” funding be used to buy semi-permanent pickleball nets to be placed on dual-use (tennis and pickleball) courts? Not everyone has access to a temporary pickleball net. When semi-permanent nets are made available many more people get to use the pickleball courts.
  • The entire city has only 4 pickleball courts with decent lights . Will we have to wait until the 16+ dedicated lighted pickleball courts come online a long time from now to get more lighted courts ?
  • Is the Park District Funding Plan’s proposed pickleball plan based on an objective demand study supported by real-world data?
  • Is the Park District Funding Plan’s proposed pickleball plan based on an objective study of current court usage?
  • Will the Park District Funding Plan’s funding for expanded and realigned community center operating hours allow Seattle Parks to restore the free indoor drop-in pickleball programs that were cut due to lack of funds in 2019?
  • Could we get pickleball lines that are easy to see? Seattle’s public turf fields are all lined for multiple sports in such a way that no lines from a single sport dominate. The Seattle Community Center gyms are lined for multiple sports in such a way that no lines from a single sport dominate. Why is Seattle Parks insisting on having the tennis court lines dominate over the pickleball lines? Could we get pickleball lines that are easy to see?
  • Shoreline Parks paints 6 pickleball courts on two side-by-side tennis courts. Seattle Parks paints 4. Why is Seattle making such poor use of its court real estate?
  • The pickleball community is very inclusive thanks to its fostering of “open play” events that allow people to show up and get pulled into a game. What is Seattle Parks plan to support open play?
  • Last summer, Rec’n The Streets introduced dozens of people to pickleball. This program was so successful at some locations that the instructors were overwhelmed by the number of participants, many of which kept playing after Rec’n The Streets ended. Thank you for expanding the Rec’n The Streets in the current Park District Funding Plan.
  • Pickleball is one of the few sports that people play into their seventies, eighties and nineties. Please keep supporting Seattle’s aging population by supporting pickleball.
  • Would you please add pickleball court lines on the tennis courts located at _______ ?

When?

As soon as possible. The Board of Parks Commissioners will take as many submitted questions as they can during the facilitated Q & A session at the end of their meeting this Thursday, April 14th that starts at 6:30pm.

Can I watch the meeting?

Yes. To join the meeting, click here any time between 6:30 and 8:30pm on Thursday April 14th. The meeting agenda and the instructions for joining are here.