“It doesn't require a lot of strength, and it's a very sociable game. You get to meet a whole bunch of different people from younger people to older people and everyone in between.”
— Parks and Recreation Director Josh Johnson

EPHRATA — Ephrata residents will soon have a new place to play, gather and compete as the city celebrates the completion of its new pickleball courts at the Ephrata Sports Complex.

City officials will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Friday at the complex, marking the completion of the latest phase of a project funded through the city's Real Estate Excise Tax revenues and a $400,000 commitment from the Paul Lauzier Foundation.

Parks and Recreation Director Josh Johnson said the completion of the courts is an exciting milestone for a project that began with requests from local pickleball enthusiasts.

“I'm just super excited for the public and for everybody to finally get out there and be able to play,” Johnson said.

The city hopes the event will be a learning opportunity as well as a celebration. 

“We actually want it to be more than a ribbon cutting,” Johnson said. “We're trying to get pickleballers and people from the community to come out and actually play, so it can be more or less not just come check it out, but come use it.”

Games will be available for experienced players and newcomers alike, with city staff and local players on hand to explain the rules and introduce residents to the fast-growing sport. Johnson said the courts are the result of years of work involving city staff, elected officials, local players and community partners.

“It all got started with a local pickleball community coming to me, coming to Parks Commission, coming to council,” Johnson said. “We've done a lot.”

The city is already looking ahead to future improvements. Johnson said Ephrata recently received encouraging news regarding a grant application through the Washington Recreation and Conservation Office that would help fund the project's final phase.

“Currently the preliminary rankings from the Recreation Conservation Office came out, and out of the 12 cities for the small grant category that we applied in, we ranked second,” Johnson said.

If funded, the final phase would add a cover over the courts, lighting, a sound system, netting and additional futsal and basketball facilities, Johnson said. 

Beyond pickleball, officials envision the area serving as a flexible community gathering space. Johnson said the courts were designed with removable nets and dividers, allowing the surface to be repurposed for a variety of events.

“Everything is going to be portable where the pickleball courts are,” Johnson said. “If we have a big event the city wants to do, or an outside group wants to do, we can pull the posts out, pull the nets out, pull the dividers out, and it can just be a flat big surface.”

City Clerk Rob Miller said the sports complex continues to evolve into a recreational hub that can host community events, tournaments and activities while attracting visitors to Ephrata.

“Whether it's pickleball or any other things at the courts at the Ephrata Sports Complex, those sorts of things are economic drivers here in town,” Miller said. “It's important for us to make sure that we have top-class facilities to draw those sorts of visitors, but also just quality of life for our local folks.”

Miller praised the Paul Lauzier Foundation for its partnership on the project. 

“The Paul Lauzier Foundation is a partner not only with the city of Ephrata, but with countless organizations and communities throughout the area,” Miller said. “They have been wonderful partners to work with.”

He also credited city staff, particularly Project Engineer Dave Bren, for securing outside funding opportunities that have helped move projects forward.

“We really appreciate the efforts of our engineering staff, including Dave Bren,” Miller said. “He's done so much work on helping us supplement our budget with grant funding that is saving or pulling back taxpayer dollars from Ephrata. We're able to claw some of that back through various grant programs or partner with groups like the Paul Lauzier Foundation to keep that money local and build the local quality of life the way it should be.”

Johnson said the courts are just one example of recent investments in Ephrata's parks system, following upgrades at Lions Park and other community facilities.

“I'm super blessed that I've gotten to be able to be kind of at the focal point of that and work with so many different departments and so many different people and foundations to see a lot of this happen,” Johnson said.

City officials are encouraging residents to attend Friday's ceremony, learn about the sport and help celebrate a project they hope will serve the community for years to come.

“It doesn't require a lot of strength, and it's a very sociable game,” Johnson said. “You get to meet a whole bunch of different people from younger people to older people and everyone in between.”

    The City of Ephrata began construction on the pickleball courts April 13 and now the facility is open for use and play. The project was funded by the Real Estate Excise Tax revenues and a $400,000 commitment from the Paul Lauzier Foundation.
  

    Ephrata Parks and Recreation Director Josh Johnson practices his pickleball skills Wednesday before the city's ribbon-cutting Friday. Johnson said the sport is very accessible as it does not require a lot of strength or speed, and the equipment needed is relatively cheap to purchase. Ephrata Parks and Recreation will have a handful of paddles and balls for use Friday for those who want to give the game a try.