[Editor’s note: According to Tom Carosello, executive director of the Estes Valley Recreation and Park District, the number of pickleball courts will grow to from 4 to 8 not 12. Our article has been updated to correct this.]
That repetitive WHACK … SPLAT sound that has urban residents so up in arms is welcomed in Estes Park, so much so that if aficionados of the oh-so-popular pickleball game have their way, it won’t be long before the four outdoor courts in Stanley Park will grow to 8.
A petition signed by more than 40 people asking that more courts be constructed was submitted to the Estes Valley Recreation and Park District (EVRPD Board of Directors in June. That was followed up by an in-person direct request from Dennis Gehlhaus and David Cordes during the board’s July meeting.
Their timing was perfect as it was the first meeting when capital expenditures for 2025 and beyond were being formally introduced to the board. New and improved pickleball courts appear to be among the favored projects.
“We get many visitors,” who play pickleball, said Gehlhaus. “We have a strong local community as I think you are aware of.”
“People who are pickleball enthusiasts travel with their paddles. So many of them come to this place and to tournaments all over the country. I would request the board continue to move forward with the design of the eight courts you have on your schedule, Gehlhaus continued. “We have many people who are gifted in pickleball that can travel to tournaments all around the area, and we’d like to see it continue to grow.”
In fact, Gehlhaus and Cordes said they foresee a time when Estes Park can sponsor its own tournament.
Gehlhaus estimated that there is a core group of about 85 pickleball players, not including a group from the Estes Park Newcomers Club who use the recreation district courts. When inclement weather hits, the players use shared court space created inside.
Additional pickleball courts are only one of many potential capital projects on the list of needs the board will consider in the next couple of months.
The array of needs and opportunities will be discussed over the next two months. On Oct. 15, the board tentatively has a 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. work session to discuss budgetary and capital expense concepts prior to moving into a regular meeting when a public hearing on the budget will be conducted. The final 2025 budget will be adopted by December.
During the August meeting, board members were introduced to the district’s many projects identified as needing attention.
At Stanley Park, playground equipment is old and in disrepair, and in many cases parts can no longer be purchased. For safety, some of the equipment has been cordoned off. The irrigation system needs major work. The district has identified the need for a paved and improved parking lot. Also on the list of improvements are phased additions for restrooms, pavilions, and a maintenance facility.
While the Community Center is relatively new, Executive Director Tom Carosello reminded the board that now is the time to begin refurbishing areas that are wearing. During the August meeting Carosello pointed out items including emergency lighting upgrades, refinishing leisure pool slide steps, sidewalk and parking lot sealing, boiler replacement for the lap pool and a new diving board for the lap pool.
Trails and day-use park upgrades need erosion, drainage and ice control, a vault restroom along the trail near the dog park, restroom remodels, picnic shelter upgrades, major maintenance projects on the Lake Estes Trail, and more.
Campgrounds on property owned by the Bureau of Reclamation but operated by EVRPD also need significant attention, including water, sewer and electric replacement upgrades at the East Portal, Mary’s Lake Campground water connection and distribution improvements, the pool pumphouse and restroom at Mary’s Lake and additional vault restrooms at both campgrounds.
Both golf courses need additional work, including upgraded mowing and turf equipment. Among expenditures needed at the 18-hole course are restaurant equipment and furniture upgrades replacing the driving range fence, resurfacing the parking lot and remodeling the women’s locker room. The bridge over the Big Thompson River on the Lake Estes Course needs to be replaced and the district will be working with the Bureau of Reclamation to share costs on that project. Also needed on the 9-hole course are concrete pads and cart paths.
Some of the projects listed for consideration at the marine are continued upgrades of boats and rental equipment, replacing rental equipment racks, and continued parking lot improvements and maintenance.