Oak Harbor pickleball group eyes first dedicated courts with neighborhood park plan
A neighborhood park could become Oak Harbor’s first dedicated pickleball site, as a grassroots group plans four courts first and a path for future expansion.
A neighborhood park in Oak Harbor could become the city’s first dedicated pickleball complex, as the Whidbey Pickleball Association and a local homeowners association work together to build four courts while bringing an abandoned space back to use. The effort is moving because city plans have slowed after a leadership change in Parks and Recreation and an ongoing search for grant funding.
The association says its phased plan starts with four dedicated courts and the infrastructure needed for future expansion. Its project page says the goal is to create Oak Harbor’s first dedicated pickleball facility for players of all ages and skill levels, turning a long-sought recreation need into a permanent public amenity rather than another stopgap.
The demand has been visible at Rotary Park, where Oak Harbor outdoor players have been limited to four courts on Oak Harbor School District property near North Whidbey Middle School. A 2025 Whidbey News-Times report said two of those courts were in poor condition and posed an injury risk. The Whidbey Pickleball Association said it already had more than 80 supporters on its project site, and the same report said membership had reached at least 160 after the group formed in June 2025.
Oak Harbor has chased courts for years without landing a finished project. In 2019, the city’s parks division budgeted $80,000 for two courts at Neil Park, including $50,000 from real estate excise tax funds, but the donation money needed to cover the rest never came through. In March 2024, the Oak Harbor City Council approved a $78,100 contract with RWD Landscape Architects to design eight new courts for either Sumner Park or Fort Nugent Park.
A later council discussion weighed temporary mobile nets for about $6,500, four permanent courts at Sumner Park for about $61,000, or an eight-court facility that could cost about $749,000 and depend on a $500,000 Recreation and Conservation Office grant. The neighborhood park partnership offers a different route: instead of waiting for one large city project to clear every hurdle, residents can build a smaller but usable facility now and leave room to grow later.
Oak Harbor Parks and Recreation says its mission is to improve safety, protect park investment and partner with the community. The pickleball plan fits that approach and could show how a neighborhood-backed project can move a stalled recreation need off the city’s to-do list.
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