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Council approves temporary 'tennis only' sign at Rainier Trails Park amid pickleball dispute
Summary
The Enumclaw City Council approved placing a temporary, non-enforceable sign at Rainier Trails Park encouraging tennis-only use and directing pickleball players to newly resurfaced courts at Dwight Garrett Park; the sign will be reevaluated in about a month.
The Enumclaw City Council voted to place a temporary sign at Rainier Trails Park that would encourage users to reserve the court for tennis and direct pickleball players to nearby Dwight Garrett Park.
Councilmember Smith moved for the sign and Councilmember Swarden seconded; after extended discussion the council approved the motion by voice vote. Smith framed the measure as an informational, low-cost step to reduce neighborhood friction: "So I make a motion to ask the council to implement a sign for Rainier Trails Park" (speaker 6).
Opponents and some council members cautioned that signage would be non‑enforceable and could create expectations for additional action. Councilmember Marano asked whether putting up a sign could lead to further demands from residents: "I just didn't know if legally, if this gave any prerequisite to someone saying, okay. You did this for us. Now we also want you to change the parking…" (speaker 4). The mayor and staff clarified the sign would not create a new legal restriction: "It's not enforceable by code enforcement because you've not codified it. It's not enforceable by law enforcement" (Mayor, speaker 1).
Staff said a temporary sign could be deployed quickly and that permanent signage or codified restrictions would require a different policy process. Councilmembers discussed alternative, lower‑cost deployment and wording that would encourage use of the new courts without implying legal prohibition.
Council directed staff to prepare a temporary sign using language suggested by Councilmember Chris (verbiage to encourage tennis and provide directions to Dwight Garrett Park), monitor results for one to two months, and return with recommendations if problems persist. The motion passed on a voice vote.
