Tennis and pickleball players now have some verbal support from Sequim city councilors for new courts.

City councilors unanimously approved the 2015 Parks and Recreation Master Plan on Monday, which includes tentative plans to build eight pickleball courts in 2016-2017 valued at $150,000 and four tennis courts in 2017-2018 valued at $225,000.

However, finding financing remains the biggest obstacle for the city and sports enthusiasts.

Joe Irvin, Sequim parks manager, said the plan is a vision document showing the city’s needs in the next 20 years for its parks.

The plan allows the city to become eligible again for grants by the end of the year, Irvin said, but the master plan’s six-year Capital Improvement Program allocates $4.3 million to projects but the city historically spends about $600,000 on park improvements over six years. At the city’s current rate of spending, it would take about 43 years to pay for all of the proposed projects at today’s prices.

“Parks and recreation hasn’t been a high priority in the city’s first 100 years,” City Manager Steve Burkett said. “But we’re looking ahead to the next 20 years and we’re asking if we want to change that trend. (The plan) outlines $4.3 million worth of projects and the big question is does the community want to do them and which way.”

Irvin said the project needs will be proposed for the whole city’s Capital Improvement Program, which includes streets, sewer and water and other projects before going into the proposed 2016-2017 budget in November.

In the master plan, some of the proposed funding options include seeking grants, using real estate excise tax dollars, creating user fees and/or forming either a Metropolitan Parks District or parks and recreation district service area.

“The formation of a Metropolitan Parks District is a very reliable and sustainable funding mechanism,” Irvin said. “I definitely feel it will be an important policy issue to discuss in the coming months.”

Strong support

The Sequim Transit Center was packed into the lobby with tennis and pickleball players ranging from students to senior citizens, with more than a dozen speaking in support of new courts. Most of the city councilors favored finding a solution for the courts after hearing testimony from dozens of advocates.

“If there was any doubt we needed pickleball and tennis courts, the attendance tonight put that to rest,” said Councilor Ted Miller.

“It’s frankly an embarrassment to the city not to have public pickleball and tennis courts.”

Councilor Genaveve Starr agreed saying she wants to “see the city hurry up and get us tennis courts and pickleball courts any way we can.”

Councilor Laura Dubois said she supports the courts but she takes a more pragmatic approach to the plan.

“We’d love to be able to build all of these things,” she said. “This master plan is an important beginning step so we can get grants. People need to understand if we get a one-time grant, we need to have a revenue stream for maintenance and operations for any facilities that we build.”

Previously, city councilors tabbed tennis courts for future construction in a parks master plan in 1997 and in 2006 but city staff did not include them in the projects list in the annual budgets, Irvin said

Members of the Peninsula Tennis Club approached city officials in 2005 with an estimated $180,000-$272,000 plan that may have included grants for creating courts in public parks.

Its most recent proposal calls for four new courts at about $273,000.

The Sequim Picklers formed a committee, the Pickleball Facility Committee of Sequim, to assess its needs after attending a joint meeting between the city council and City Parks and Recreation Advisory Council in December. The draft plan didn’t call for pickleball courts until 2019, so the committee created a plan estimating a need for $150,000-$177,500 for eight courts. They’ve also applied for a local community project request grant sponsored by State Rep. Steve Tharinger through the Legislature for upwards of $200,000.

JoAnne Yerkes, chairman for the committee, said they’ve identified four locations to consider in the future for new courts — at SARC, Carrie Blake Park, by the Sequim Boys & Girls Club and expanding the existing spot at the intersection of the Third Avenue and Fir Street.

Closed courts

The most recent call to action for more tennis courts comes after Sequim School District staff shut down Sequim High School’s two bottom courts due to safety concerns from large cracks at the beginning of the school year. Maintenance staff attempted to repair the courts but were unable to fill the cracks.

Next week, the Sequim girls high school tennis team likely will face its first-ever cuts.

Dave Ditlefsen, Sequim High School athletic director, said he was told the courts are not playable so only three courts will be available.

“Most likely, depending on turnout, we’ll cap the roster at 18, which we feel is still workable,” he said.

“Any more than that, you’ve either got too many kids on the court or sitting off court for large portions of practice.”

He said currently there are no plans right now to repair or replace the two closed courts further due to budget constraints.

In the fall, the boys team had to reschedule meets, postpone matches due to lack of daylight and reconfigure practices due to the limited court space.

The Sequim School District hosts the only five public tennis courts in Sequim and allows the Sequim Picklers to play at the Sequim Community School on four temporary nets and one stationary net.

Sequim School District Superintendent Kelly Shea said at the Feb. 18 school board meeting that he is a writing a letter of support for any collaboration between the City of Sequim, Clallam County’s parks department, the community groups (for tennis courts and pickleball courts) and the schools.

The school district has some property and some funding to help, too, he said.

“We’re willing to be at the table and collaborate, but we don’t want to do it on our own,” Shea said.

Community input

Andrew Shogren, a city resident, stood with his daughter Emma at the city council podium Monday night and said she has been playing tennis for five years at the high school courts and the conditions and number people using them makes it increasingly hard to find time to play.

“The city has been fortunate to have the cooperation of the high school and school district in allowing the public to use the high school courts as long as they have,” Shogren said. “The school district should be applauded for allowing public access for so many years, however the tide has turned and it’s time for the city to step up and help the schools and the general public. It’s become a safety issue, a recreation issue and a quality of life issue.”

Both tennis and pickleball groups had more than 200 signatures combined in favor of new courts included in the master plan.

“So you can see by the numbers this is not a case of build it and they will come,” Yerkes said. “They (pickleball players) are already here and more come every month and we’re sure even more will come.”

Tennis advocates like Don Thomas have been asking for support from the City of Sequim and Sequim School District for several years, including one effort in 2011 to bring an inflatable dome, “The Bubble,” to the high school. However, school board members unanimously voted down the idea after hearing testimony from school staff about costs, esthetics, space and possible vandalism.

Karl Fickes, president of the Peninsula Tennis Club, said the foundation of a local private company is still committed to six figures for an outside tennis courts with some stipulations such as for lighting.

The Sequim Community Tennis Fund also was established by recent transplant Terry Parks to bring awareness for new tennis courts and support any effort to build courts. The Sequim Community Tennis Fund can receive funds at First Federal locations and by contacting Parks at sctf40love@gmail.com, terrenceparks@netscape.net or 808-7949.