Winthrop Town Council elected not to move ahead with a grant application to build eight pickleball courts adjacent to the existing tennis courts, citing more groundwork was needed before the town could proceed.
The council meeting was packed with supporters and concerned neighbors who said they were not notified about the proposed expansion. Methow Valley Pickleball Club President Jenn Houston apologized, saying she wanted to get the town’s approval before gathering input on the project’s design.
“We’re super excited about the vision of taking a space that is, right now, a dirt block and turning it into the bookend that creates this beautiful recreation corridor from the rink all the way through to where the existing court is today,” said Houston.
She noted the addition of a skate park and the existing baseball field across the street makes the area a prime space for a recreation hub. The proposed pickleball addition would add 16 parking spots.
The club has contributed volunteer work to repair the two existing tennis courts that they also use for pickleball. The club posted pictures of their volunteer efforts on their Facebook page.
Under the terms of the grant application, the pickleball court has to be covered and playable nine months of the year. The grant application for the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Organization (RCO) is due April 30.
Economic Windfall
Houston championed the economic opportunities that would come from hosting two pickleball competitions a year in the shoulder seasons that would attract hundreds of people. Another location, she said, would not have the same economic impact to the town.
A pickleball court can also be used for tennis, basketball, and dodgeball.
Ross Latham, a Methow Valley Pickleball Club board member who attended the meeting remotely, said the club followed best practices of Sequim and Manson, which located their new pickleball courts next to existing tennis courts with support from their respective towns.
Sarah Berns, who runs Spring Creek Ranch, which sits at one end of the proposed “recreation corridor,” questioned whether additional tourists are a good idea.
“Do we want a vehicle to bring hundreds of people into Winthrop in addition to the thousands of people that come here?” she asked. “Even as a business owner, I feel like I have a responsibility to my community. I feel like I’m balancing economic gain to myself and to my family with the quality of life in a town that I love deeply.”
Location, Location, Location
Winthrop Town Planner Rocklynn Culp told the council that assessing how development in that space interacts with other demands in that area takes time to sort out.
“It’s worth keeping a conversation going, but I think it’s also worth looking at alternative sites,” said Culp.
Culp said the wetland is within Winthrop’s jurisdiction, not the county’s, and questioned the accuracy of the wetland border presented by Houston, who used a map provided by the county. Culp instead referred to the map on the National Wetlands Inventory. A wetland delineation is good for five years, said Culp.
Some attendees said they wanted to know the ecological impact on nesting birds, deer, and other wildlife.
Public Works Director Jake Gates said a large site will be available in two to three years when the wastewater treatment plant is replaced.
“I think pushing this so quickly through and putting it in a spot that it’s not really wanted seems rather silly to me when we have a spot coming up in the future that’s going to be a great spot for a new baseball field, a new soccer field, a new pickleball court,” said Gates. “It’s years out, but at the same time, I think we’re just trying to push this too fast. It’s too much for the town.”
Houston pushed back, saying replacement of the sewage plant doesn’t have a timeline for completion. The plant is currently in design phase and has to be completed before 2030. Houston said with that timeline, a pickleball addition wouldn’t be built until 2033.
“I know there’s some disagreement about economic health of the valley and should we do these kinds of things, but the reality is we are fighting a time that is upon us where our environment is changing and our visitors are changing,” said Houston.
“We don’t even have a slide.”
Nearby residents said they were not consulted about the proposed project. The map used in the presentation did not include locations of surrounding properties.
“We haven’t even been considered. People that live there have not even made it onto your presentation, and I think that speaks volumes,” said an attendee who stated she neighbors the property. “We don’t even have a slide and we’re not even on the drawing.”
Houston said she had planned to get input from the community if she got permission for the plan from the council.
“It sounds like the order was out and I apologize,” she said.
Culp said more thought needs to be put into the project and the effect it would have on the surrounding community.
“A wonderfully organized group of people reflects the enthusiasm of a wonderfully organized group of people that doesn’t necessarily address the broader community sentiment about a project,” said Culp.
Pickleball is in the town’s park plan as something to explore, but it is not prioritized, said Culp.
Houston countered, “I think the parks plan is a little deceptive because when you have 109 people out of 600 people write in the word “pickleball,” and that didn’t show up higher, there’s something off.”
In her discussions with the grant administrator, Culp said the administrator told her she did not think the project would score highly at this time because there are unresolved issues, possibly entailing a lot of work for not a lot of benefit.
Council Deliberates
Mayor Robert Grim asked if the council wanted to continue the question and answer between residents and Houston. Councilmember Joe O’Driscoll said he had heard enough concerns to postpone a decision about the courts.
Councilmember Marisa Monteverde said she would not support the grant application because the town does not have the administrative capacity at the present time to submit the grant.
“Our town staff is just totally overwhelmed. We got a lot of big projects we’re working on right now. A lot of grants that have to be administered,” said Monteverde.
Councilmember Ed Zuckerman said while the proposal was not ready to be brought before the town, he would support exploring the proposition further.
“You put something on the table that I think the community needs to talk about, whether it’s Winthrop or the Methow Valley,” said Zuckerman.
Councilmember Seth Miles volunteered to take the lead on working with an advisory group since Winthrop does not have a parks and recreation committee like Twisp.
The council did agree to pursue a USA Pickleball grant in the amount of $25,000 to repair and resurface the two existing tennis courts. Houston will present the completed application for the town’s approval at the next council meeting April 15.
