EPHRATA — Visitors to the Ephrata Sports Complex will soon notice smoother access to the facility and the arrival of long-awaited pickleball courts as the city continues work on improving the community recreation hub. 

The City of Ephrata recently partnered with the Port of Ephrata and Granite Construction to install a new driveway into the sports complex using recycled asphalt grindings from a separate port project. City Engineer Shawn O’Brien said the collaboration allowed the city to improve the entrance while making use of material that otherwise would have needed to be hauled elsewhere. 

“The Port of Ephrata hired Granite Construction to do work for them, and when you remove asphalt, you have a waste product that does have some value,” O’Brien said. “It was a cooperative effort between all of the parties.” 

According to O’Brien, Granite Construction ground up the asphalt and delivered the material, while city crews handled much of the installation work. Public works employees used city equipment to spread, grade and water the material, creating a more durable driving surface for visitors entering the complex. 

The recycled asphalt is expected to provide several benefits over a traditional gravel surface. 

“It’s going to provide a better road surface or better driving surface that will hopefully require less maintenance,” O’Brien said. “Those grindings bind together, especially in warm weather, and should create much less dust when people drive through that parking area.” 

The project also saved taxpayer dollars by utilizing recycled material and completing much of the work with city staff rather than outside contractors. 

While work on the driveway continues, another major improvement is moving quickly ahead at the sports complex. 

Contractors with Pickleball Courts LLC have begun the process of surfacing six new regulation-size pickleball courts. O’Brien said crews have already cleaned the concrete foundation and are expected to begin sealing joints before applying the court coatings. 

Weather permitting, the contractor expects the work to be completed by early October. 

“The city has the nets and the supports,” O’Brien said. “As soon as the coating has cured to the point that it’s open for playing, we’ll get those nets installed and put that information out on our city website to let everybody know they are open for use.” 

The courts are expected to serve a growing community of local pickleball players eager for dedicated facilities. O’Brien said city officials anticipate the courts becoming a popular amenity once they are ready for play. 

“There’s a group in the community that’s really looking forward to using this facility,” he said. “I think it’ll be an asset to the community.” 

The courts were also designed with flexibility in mind. The net systems will be removable, allowing the space to accommodate a variety of community activities and events when not being used for pickleball.