It’s a big deal to turn 50! As Port Orchard Rotary Club celebrates their 50th anniversary, Rotarians are once again redoubling their efforts to make their local community a better place to live.
Their chosen 50th-anniversary project is a collaboration with the City of Port Orchard to revitalize a run-down park and play court facility in the heart of downtown.
The project is part of the community gathering space that includes the Givens Community Center, South Kitsap Western Little League fields, South Kitsap Peewee Association, picnic spaces, green space, and public restrooms.
Several Port Orchard Rotarians remember playing on these courts as kids–oh so many years ago!–and this project will revitalize this essential facility for youth and adult recreation. Rotarians will refurbish the existing dilapidated basketball and tennis play courts, addressing the rough and uneven asphalt, surface cracks, rusty fencing, aged lighting, and overgrown surrounding landscaping.
The unusable Court surfaces will be ground down to make a strong base for newly installed court surfaces, which will be strong and weather-resistant.
The basketball court will be repainted to include striping for a Futsal court, the first in Kitsap County. (Futsal is also known as speed soccer and is played in a smaller arena set to the size of a standard basketball court).
The tennis courts will be refurbished and striped to include both tennis and pickleball striping. Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the nation, and it was invented in Kitsap County. As you can imagine, there’s a huge demand for racquet sports courts in the South Kitsap area.
All new security fencing and lighting will be added for safety, as well as a section of public seating along the perimeter of the facility.
A grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office was awarded to the City of Port Orchard for approximately half the needed funds to build the project as planned.
The Port Orchard Rotary Club has pledged $50,000 in match funds and is championing the fundraising effort to achieve the full $150,000 funding. Through a grassroots campaign of community engagement, project awareness, and grant writing, Rotarians hope to see this project built within their 50th year of service.
To lend support, please visit the Rotary Club’s giving site developed specifically for the project. For additional information about the project and plans, please visit the City’s project-specific website.
