A little inclement weather couldn’t dampen spirits as the Park District hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking of the new pickleball courts and Founders Courts pavilion at Battle Point Park Sunday.
Guests of honor Gov. Jay Inslee, pickleball co-founder Barney McCallum (who invented the game with Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell), and more than 60 pickleball players feted the fast-growing game that was founded right here on Bainbridge in 1965.
The Park District is building six new dedicated pickleball courts next to the Battle Point tennis courts in 2020. Also planned: a new Founders Courts plaza, with walkways, surrounds and interpretive displays at the entrance to the new courts — a first-of-its-kind center to honor the game and its history, how it all started right here on Bainbridge Island.
Find out more about the Founders Court pavilion and support the project through the Parks Foundation at www.biparksfoundation.org/pickleball.