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Neighbors urge Enumclaw to remove Rainier Trails pickleball lines; council opts to wait for Garrett Park resurfacing
Summary
Neighbors told the council that pickleball lines at Rainier Trails Park create daily noise for properties as close as about 30 feet. The city council discussed removing the lines but agreed to wait until new courts at Garrett Park are resurfaced to see if play patterns change.
Richard Gardine, a resident of the Stonebrook neighborhood, urged the Enumclaw City Council on April 27 to remove pickleball lines that were added at Rainier Trails Park in May 2025, saying daily play creates noise that affects homes as close as roughly 30 feet.
"A pickleball group plays daily beginning in May and continuing through the summer months, creating a level of noise that directly affects those of us living in close proximity," Gardine said during public comment, and asked the council to "have a discussion during the city reports meeting this evening to remove the pickleball lines and restore the court to tennis only."
Council members said they have discussed the matter in committee and that the parks board recommended removing the lines. But several council members — including Councilmember Storton, who lives in the neighborhood and said he plays pickleball — said the city should wait until the new seven-court facility at Garrett Park is resurfaced and available before removing existing lines at Rainier Trails.
"We're gonna have seven courts at Garrett," Councilmember Storton said. "It's going to allow the group actually all to play all at once, but it's gonna be a proper facility. ... As long as Garrett is there, I don't see a reason why the lines at Rainier Trails shouldn't be removed." Other members worried about the fiscal cost of removing lines and whether doing so now would be fair to park users.
Several council members recommended delaying action until the Garrett Park resurfacing is complete (work is expected to start May 18) to observe whether play patterns change. The council agreed to revisit the issue at its next meeting on May 18.
The discussion combined resident complaints about noise and local officials' desire to balance park use, fiscal prudence and planned capital improvements. No formal action or ordinance was adopted at the April 27 meeting; the council directed staff to return the item for discussion after Garrett Park work begins.
