October 2, 2023 3;35 a.m. 

Roseburg will get a new outdoor tennis and pickleball facility, thanks to a $750,000 state grant awarded to Roseburg Parks and Recreation and an effort to raise matching community funds.

A City of Roseburg release said the grant will fund half of a complete overhaul of tennis courts that are more than a half century old. An expected $1.25 to $1.3 million renovation will include 8 new tennis courts, 10 dedicated pickleball courts along with new fencing, lighting, seating, an entryway and a security system.

Public Works Director Dawn Easley said, “Pickleball is the fastest-growing sport in the United States. Parks and Recreation is excited to give residents an opportunity to play this sport outdoors in Roseburg”.

Money from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s Local Government Grant Program, funded by the Oregon Lottery, will be used to replace the Stewart Park courts that are owned by the city but operated and maintained by the Umpqua Valley Tennis Center. The non-profit organization has already begun a campaign to raise matching funds from the community.

The facility first opened in 1959. Two projects improved the area in the late 1960s. In 1970, during a U.S. tennis boom, six more outdoor courts were added along with lighting, fencing and drinking fountains. The community donated $1.6 million to add indoor courts, locker rooms and more, following a fundraising campaign that began in 1989.

Parks and Recreation Program Manager Val Ligon said “The outdoor courts have way outlived their useful life”. The refurbished facility will include all-weather courts covered with a more permeable, premium Plexipave surface, energy-efficient LED lights for night games and tournaments, new nets and posts, a hitting wall, black vinyl perimeter fencing and improved seating.

Conceptual drawings have been created. Work on Phase 1 design plans can now begin. Construction is hoped to start as early as spring 2024 and be completed by next fall.

Ligon began working on the grant with UVTC last fall and submitted the application in late March. She was notified that it had been approved on September 22nd.

Easley and Ligon will talk about the grant and the renovations on Inside Douglas County Thursday at 12:30 p.m. on News Radio 93-9 FM and 1240 KQEN.

To learn more about the project or the fundraising campaign, go to: https://www.umpquavalleytennis.com/improvement