SANDPOINT — A new-look James E. Russell Sports Center is targeting Saturday, Sept. 6, for a grand opening ceremony, Ryan Wells, Sandpoint’s recreation facilities supervisor, said.

The event is set to debut multiple additions to the center’s services, including a volunteer program, facility improvements and more. While the facility had an opening ceremony in November last year, Wells said at the June 11 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting that the facility is still in a “soft opening” phase. 

“The biggest thing I’m struck with is how many people per day walk through and go ‘Oh my gosh, I never knew this was here,’” Wells said at the June 25 City Council meeting. “We’ve never grand opened it, we’ve never invited the public in.” 

Wells was brought on by the city in June to lead to a new and more profitable era for the facility, which he said begins with a new volunteer program. The volunteers will help the center extend its hours, increase programming while limiting the cost to the facility, according to Wells. 

“The volunteers will be a very structured program here,” Wells said. “Somebody out there playing right now would be the volunteer overseeing the building. It’s not something where I’m expecting someone to sit at the counter and check someone in.” 

Volunteers will be tasked with overseeing the center during certain hours and potentially providing introductory programming for new players. With the volunteers in place, Wells said he hopes to extend the center’s hours to 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at little cost to the city. 

“The goal of the volunteers is to use them to extend the hours of the building and give more opportunities to play in here,” Wells said.  

Potential volunteers will have to apply and be vetted through the city before hiring. If selected, volunteers will receive free membership to the facility and discounts on league, tournament and event fees.  

“They will basically be paying for their membership by being a volunteer,” Wells said. “There’s a group called the Panhandle Pickleball Club in town, and they ran three different facilities with this same facilitator type program.” 

Alongside the volunteers, Wells is set on starting leagues and holding tournaments at the JER Center as another revenue and programming source. Tournaments will be held in colder weather months, taking advantage of the unique indoor facility.   

“In here, we have guaranteed good weather all the time,” Wells said. “It will bring a lot of people to town and something that we’re looking forward to.” 

Sandpoint’s City Council voted to maintain the JER Center’s current course of focusing on racquet sports at their June 25 meeting, with the condition that the city remain in contact with the Pacific Northwest chapter of the nonprofit United States Tennis Association for a programming partnership. 

Wells has continued talks with the USTA PNW and while nothing has been agreed to, he said he is “100% behind” the partnership and hopes to have an agreement completed by the September grand opening. 

The council asked the center to obtain a rubber mat that would protect the floors while allowing for more space for non-racquet sport events, such as banquets or indoor soccer. Wells said that the mat has not been ordered yet but should arrive by the grand opening. 

“This mat will be, not the whole building, one or two courts to start,” Wells said. “This would allow us to have graduation, if it was rained out, or different things like that within the city, that could use a big indoor space.” 

Wells said Sept. 6 is a tentative date for the event, with many of the programs still in the works. If people are interested in the volunteer program, Wells said to keep an eye on Sandpoint’s website for the application link. 

    A group practices tennis, while other courts are used for Pickleball, inside the James E. Russell Sports Center.
  

    A family practices tennis together inside the James E. Russell Sports Center.