SOUTH WHIDBEY: Campaign for pickleball courts welcomes donations

Kira Erickson reports for the South Whidbey Record.

Pickleball players are hoping to raise enough funds for a half-million-dollar project to build new publicly accessible courts on South Whidbey.

In 2023, the South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District received a $452,000 grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office that requires $50,000 in matching funds. Whidbey Island Pickleball, an informal alliance of players and groups, agreed to raise the money from community donations.

As of Nov. 3, 110 individuals have contributed $37,600 to the campaign, which is about 75% of the goal. Barry Haworth of Whidbey Island Pickleball said they aim to raise $50,000 by the end of December.

…Visit secure.qgiv.com/for/whidbeyislandpickleballwip/ to donate or visit whidbeyispickleball.org to learn more about the project.

They Said It

The project is currently in the design and permitting phase. The parks and rec department plans to go out to bid for construction in January or February 2025 with the goal of opening the courts in late summer or early fall next year, Executive Director Brian Tomisser said.