What is going on
Kirkland Parks Department has started work on its next comprehensive “Park, Recreation, and Open Spaces Plan“. This 6-year plan will provide a vision for the continuation of high-quality recreation opportunities to benefit the residents of and visitors to Kirkland.
We need to make sure the Parks Department knows that pickleball players are grateful for the wonderful courts it created in 2019 at Everest Park and that we would love to see even more pickleball courts in Kirkland.
What you need to do NOW
Please email Mary Gardocki mgardocki@kirklandwa.gov and cc: eParks@kirklandwa.gov and let her know:
- How grateful you are for the gorgeous outdoor dedicated pickleball courts that the Kirkland Parks department installed at Everest Park in 2019
- How grateful you are that Parks updated their signage to embrace the pickleball culture of drop-ins where people take turns playing one game to 11
- How busy these courts are and how grateful you would be if they could add 3 more courts next to the 3 original ones
- How wonderful it would be if they could expand indoor and/or outdoor pickleball support even further by [insert your idea here]
Make the message your own:
- Talk about what you would like to see
- If you live, work, shop or play in Kirkland, be sure you mention it
If email is not your thing, you can call Mary Gardocki and leave her a voicemail at (425) 587-3311.
What we will need to do later
In the next few months, expect the Kirkland Parks department to conduct an extensive community involvement effort including focus groups, meetings with key stakeholders, neighborhood and community-wide public meetings, surveys, website, and so on.
We will need to make sure we participate in those as well. If you spot one of those, please report it to info@seattlemetropickleball.com so we can spread the word around.
Let’s not wait for community involvement effort to start. Start emailing the Kirkland Parks Department now.