Kennewick is going all out for pickleball. Here’s what $1.3 million will buy

Kennewick is betting big on the sport of pickleball.

The city council agreed last week to spend $1.3 million to add new courts for the sport that’s relatively new but rapidly growing in popularity.

The project also will include a large gathering shelter and bigger restrooms to serve all visitors coming to Lawrence Scott Park.

The park on West Canal Drive already has five pickleball courts, but two are undersized.

The three regulation-size courts will be saved and 12 more added to create the 15-court pickleball center.

Pickleball enthusiasts say it will be large enough to attract top-level players to outdoor tournaments.

The sport combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong, according to the USA Pickleball Association. It estimates that more than 4 million people in the nation play the sport.

To make way for the new pickleball courts, existing volleyball and tennis courts, some of them in too poor of shape to be playable, will be removed.

There are plenty of other tennis courts available in the city, including near Lawrence Scott Park, said Emily Estes-Cross, the city’s parks and recreation director.

But “you’ve got people waiting in line to play pickleball on a pickleball court,” she said.

People who get hooked on the sport, especially as they near retirement, look for communities with courts and clubs when they are visiting or planning to relocate, she said.

Appeal of pickleball

It’s fun, not difficult to learn and people can play at beginner to advanced levels, said Estes-Cross and members of the Tri-Cities Club 509 Pickleball.

For many people it also becomes not just their hobby but their social connection as well, she said.

“We all just gather at the park and people change up partners and rotate in,” said Paul Jones, 55, president of the Club 509 Pickleball board.

He started playing pickleball about five years ago when he and co-workers who spent 40 and more hours at a desk were looking for a way to become more active.

But he and his wife also found it was the solution they needed to expand their social network after moving to the Tri-Cities.

Part of the appeal of Pickleball is the the simplicity of the game.

Players use a paddle and plastic ball with holes to hit balls across a net on a court smaller than a tennis court.

“If you take tennis, you are going to have to work a long time to play a game in a manner that is fun,” Jones said. “In pickleball you can come out with very little experience and within hours you can be playing games and having fun.”

Because of the smaller court size, more people have the physical ability to play the sport, including as they age.

But for people playing at the upper levels, “the intensity is amazing and it is a very good workout,” Jones said.

Washington state roots

Earlier this year the Washington state Legislature named pickleball as the official state sport, recognizing its invention in the state.

It was created in 1965 on Bainbridge Island by Joel McFee Pritchard — who would later be elected lieutenant government and a Washington state member of Congress — and two of his friends.

They were at Pritchard’s summer cabin and wanted their high energy children to go outside to play badminton but there was no badminton equipment to be found.

Their fathers improvised, creating a new game using ping-pong paddles, a net and a neighbor’s plastic whiffle ball.

They called it pickleball, and the rules they created are still used today by the USA Pickleball Association.

Paying for pickleball courts

Club 509 Pickleball was formed four or five years ago to organize players to have a voice with the city of Kennewick. They wanted more courts, said club board member Rita Magnaghi.

“There were so many negative things about COVID but during the pandemic with people locked down and unable to go to work, our numbers just exploded with people wanting to come out and try pickleball because it was a relatively safe sport from the COVID perspective,” Jones said.

Club membership has grown to more than 200.

Club members are contributing $70,000 toward the costs of the new court.

The city also is working on corporate sponsorships for $210,000 of the cost.

The city will use $800,000 from the federal government from the American Rescue Plan Act fund, aid linked to the pandemic, and the remaining $250,000 will come from city park impact fees. Housing developers pay into the park fund to expand and improve city parks.

Lawrence Scott improvements

A new prefab restroom will be near both the pickleball courts and the park’s play structure, which is popular for its outdoor musical instruments.

The new restroom will be about 50% larger that the 36-year-old restroom it will replace.

A large picnic shelter also will be built near the pickleball courts and is intended to serve the entire park, which is one of three sports complexes owned by the city of Kennewick.

Lawrence Scott Park has four lighted baseball and softball fields, a concession stand, a soccer field, picnic shelters and a three-quarter mile walking path on 26 acres.

The Tri-Cities also has three pickleball courts at Claybell Park in Richland and there are some private courts, including at athletic centers.

People who want to try pickleball can come to Lawrence Scott Park 4:30 p.m. Tuesday evenings for Club 509 Pickleball beginner lessons, weather permitting.

Some paddles and balls will be available. Check the group’s Facebook page for cancellations or updates to the time.

This story was originally published May 22, 2022 at 11:15 AM.