In West Seattle, the only courts with pickleball lines and lights are located near Alki. Lights are needed for evening play six months out of the year. The Alki courts are fine neighborhood courts, but are in poor condition, are not easily accessible from the rest of West Seattle, have very limited parking nearby, and are located near houses. In summary, they are not fit to serve the entire population of West Seattle evening pickleball players.
Seattle Parks had planned to paint pickleball court lines on three of the six West Seattle Solstice Park tennis courts this summer. The Solstice courts were going to offer an evening alternative to the Alki courts, three and a half miles away. These courts have lights, offer easier parking, are located further from houses, and are going to be resurfaced this summer.
On Friday, pickleball players learned via the West Seattle blog that Seattle Parks had reversed its decision to paint pickleball court lines on three of the six Solstice Parks tennis courts this summer and decided to keep “the Solstice Park tennis courts intact as a dedicated tennis site.”
“There is not a crime, there is not a dodge, there is not a trick, there is not a swindle, there is not a vice which does not live by secrecy.”
― Joseph Pulitzer
Secret Backroom Deals
Seattle Parks did not communicate with pickleball players that it was reconsidering its decision to add pickleball court lines to some of the Solstice Park tennis courts, or the reason behind this reversal. It did not even communicate to pickleball players that this decision had been made.
We can only guess what happened. The most likely scenario is that some tennis players were not happy to share three of their six courts with pickleball players and successfully convinced Seattle Parks to reverse course.
“The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.”
― Patrick Henry
Promises, Promises
Seattle Parks says it will create dedicated pickleball courts at Lincoln Park, near the Solstice tennis courts. It wants you to know that this will be the perfect solution since it will allow tennis and pickleball players to have their own dedicated courts.
Somehow, Seattle Parks forgot to specify the estimated completion date for the new dedicated pickleball courts. How long are West Seattle pickleball players willing to wait for Seattle Parks to open those new dedicated courts? How many more winters will they have to travel over to the Alki courts to be able to play after dark? How many more winters will the Alki neighbors tolerate those courts being the only evening pickleball facility serving all of West Seattle?
Seattle Parks also conveniently forgot to specify if the Lincoln Park dedicated pickleball courts will have lights, just like the Solstice Park tennis courts do. If they do not, and there is a good chance they won’t, they will not solve the current evening play problem.
“A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency.”
― Barack Obama
UPDATE
Seattle Parks says it will create 6 unlighted dedicated courts at Lincoln Park by the end of Fall 2023, and will evaluate the feasibility of adding lights at this location “next”.
The lighted Solstice Park tennis courts are likely to see very little action all winter long. For the foreseeable future, West Seattle evening pickleball players will have to keep traveling to Alki to play on the only two West Seattle tennis courts that have both pickleball court lines and lights.
Whose Courts Are These Anyway?
If you hear that the Solstice tennis courts belong to the tennis players, please visit Whose Courts Are They Anyway?
Six tennis courts at “Lincoln Park” were built in the 1970’s with money from public bonds called Forward Thrust. Given that what we currently call “Lincoln Park” does not have six tennis courts, given that the six Solstice Park tennis courts are located across the street from Lincoln Park, and given that Solstice Park had not yet been named in the 1970’s, it is very likely that what we currently call the “Solstice Park” tennis courts, are the six “Lincoln Park” courts built with public money in the 1970’s.
As we said before: “Public tennis courts are, unsurprisingly, public property. They have been built and maintained for decades with public money. They are administered by the Seattle Parks department. It seems appropriate for the Parks department to review its allocation of public resources, including sports courts, from time to time, in a clear and transparent way.”
Call To Action
Please contact Seattle Mayor Harrell (Bruce.Harrell@seattle.gov) and Seattle Parks Superintendent Diaz (AP.Diaz@seattle.gov) to ask for:
- Transparency: Ask that the Seattle Parks explain the decision process that led them to reverse their decision to paint pickleball court lines on three of the six Solstice Parks tennis courts, and to explain why pickleball players were not involved in this process.
- Reversal: Ask that Seattle Parks allow pickleball on the Solstice tennis courts until lighted dedicated pickleball courts become available at Lincoln Park.
Click here to get started sending an email.
If you prefer to call, you can reach the mayor’s office at (206) 684-4000.