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Enumclaw council delays decision on Rainier Trails pickleball lines until Garrett Park resurfacing
Summary
Residents urged the city to remove pickleball lines at Rainier Trails Park because of persistent noise; council members largely favored waiting for new courts at Garrett Park to open before taking action and scheduled further discussion for May 18.
Residents asked the Enumclaw City Council on April 27 to remove pickleball lines at Rainier Trails Park, citing daily noise that affects homes a short distance from the court. Richard Gardine, speaking for Stonebrook neighbors, said the group is “not opposed to pickleball,” but asked the council to restore the court to tennis-only after the parks board voted to remove the added lines.
The request prompted a lengthy council discussion about timing and fairness. Councilmember Storton, who said he lives in the neighborhood and plays pickleball, said he supported removing the lines. “I will go on the record and say that I'm personally... I don't see a reason why the lines at Rainier Trails shouldn't be removed,” he said.
Other council members emphasized the practical tradeoffs, including new courts coming online. Multiple members said they preferred to wait until Garrett Park’s seven-court resurfacing and reconfiguration — work expected to begin May 18 — before removing Rainier Trails lines. Councilmember Kevin Orsut questioned the fiscal impact of paying to remove lines and favored waiting for the new facility to be open for play.
Parks Director Aliyah Hibbs told the council staff and the parks board have discussed options and that funding and scheduling for resurfacing at Garrett Park factored into the committee’s deliberations. Committee members said they wanted to see how play patterns change after Garrett Park reopens before directing staff to remove lines at Rainier Trails. The council agreed to revisit the issue at its May 18 meeting.
Next steps: the council will discuss the topic at its May 18 meeting after Garrett Park resurfacing begins; no formal vote to remove lines was taken on April 27.
