Spokane opens renovated sports and pickleball courts at Underhill Park

City of Spokane Parks and Recreation officials and community partners held a morning ribbon-cutting ceremony at Underhill Park in the East Central neighborhood to mark completion of renovated sports courts and new pickleball facilities.

City parks director Garrett Jones said the project was intended to serve neighborhood children and residents. "This is what it's all about. It's about these kids, behind us," Jones said, thanking partners and volunteers who helped the project reach completion.

The renovation was funded by the City of Spokane Parks and Recreation with a matching grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) and additional support from the Spokane Hoopfest Association, Dick's Sporting Goods and other local donors. Don Poland, tribal affairs director for the RCO, said the office invests state bond proceeds through programs such as the youth athletic facilities fund and noted the agency has helped fund dozens of Spokane projects. "I'm very excited to be with you today to help celebrate this ribbon cutting," Poland said.

Why it matters: park officials and elected leaders said the upgraded courts provide recreational access in a neighborhood that city leaders say has needed investment, and community groups plan to use the courts for youth programming. Bob Anderson, a member of the Spokane Park Board, framed the renovation as part of a long local tradition of voter-backed park investment and planning dating to the city's early park commissioners and the Olmsted brothers' early-20th-century planning work.

Funding and partners: Garrett Jones and Bob Anderson credited a mix of municipal funding, a state RCO matching grant and private contributions for making the renovation possible. Poland said the RCO's youth athletic facilities fund is supported by the sale of state bonds and has invested in hundreds of projects statewide; he told attendees the program has invested more than $76 million since 1999 and that the RCO has contributed more than $16 million to 37 Spokane park projects. The city and partners displayed sponsor recognition at a table near the site.

Community programs and users: Riley Stockton, executive director of Spokane Hoopfest, and Michael Brown, president of the Spokane Eastside Reunion Association and longtime youth-camp coach, both described how the courts will support year-round programming. "What we do the other 363 out of the year? It's projects like this," Stockton said. Brown, who runs a neighborhood camp that he said has operated for about 15 years and now serves roughly 65 children, described the camp's offerings: multiweek programming, clothing, meals and job-training components. "I've been running this camp now for 15 years," Brown said.

Historical and policy context: In remarks that placed the renovation in historical perspective, Anderson reviewed more than a century of local park investments, including a 1910 bond and the 2014 voter-approved $64 million bond to improve Riverfront Park. Anderson noted the park board adopted a master plan in June 2022 and said Spokane currently has 88 official parks. He also reminded the crowd of a forthcoming voter measure: "On 11/04/2025, you'll be asked to do so again with the Together Spokane partnership," Anderson said, referencing the city's proposed neighborhood-focused initiative.

Elected officials and neighborhood focus: Council President Betsy Wilkerson and Mayor Lisa Brown both attended and emphasized neighborhood benefits. Wilkerson said the project helps revitalize East Central and asked rhetorically, "Who's gonna teach me how to play pickleball?" Mayor Lisa Brown described the year as "the year of the neighborhood in Spokane," saying the city aims to invest so each neighborhood has parks, schools and local services.

No formal council action or vote occurred at the ceremony; speakers and partners described funding sources and program plans but did not propose or adopt new policy at the event. Organizers invited speakers and children to cut the ribbon and encouraged community use of the upgraded facilities.

Looking ahead: Park leaders and partners said the courts will be available for neighborhood programming and informal play; Anderson's remarks also flagged the Together Spokane partnership and an upcoming ballot question in November 2025 that, according to his remarks, would seek continued voter support for parks and neighborhood investments.