Good morning La Pine Picklers!

Well, it’s been a good week for some updates so let’s get into it:

1) We had a great cleanup crew show up yesterday to clear out the underbrush, needles, trimmings, etc. next to the courts at Finley. Lots of trailers, rakes, pitch forks and the like. Thank you to all of you who committed to this. It made the work go fast and the place is looking great! And did you know- Pickleballers don’t know how to tell time. I got there at 8:45 (for a 9am start) and there were already a dozen people working. I guess we all have a little cabin fever and need to get out and do something.

2) Andie, Mark and I met with Karen and Chad at LPRD to discuss opening things up when we get the okay. It seems that LPRD is part of the Phase 2 part of opening Oregon from the governor’s mandates. This means that the earliest anything can happen will be 3 weeks from Friday (June 5th). IF things are on track and IF we implement reasonable protocols, we MAY get to start playing some pickleball both on the inside courts and the outdoor courts. The good news is that Karen is very much on our side and wants to give us as much play time as she can, given the requirements. I assured her that as a club, we would spearhead the efforts required to maintain compliance (captains, sanitation, distancing, etc.). Please understand this point though- LPRD is running out of money because of loss of revenue from events, rentals, etc. They will be only opening the main building on a 2 and 1/2 day schedule until they get more funding. This could go on through the winter, but let’s hope that doesn’t have to happen. This will limit our play time inside for sure, but we are doing what we can to accommodate the bulk of our players. More details to follow in the coming weeks.

3) The courts are coming along nicely. Here are some pics compliments of Mark O’Brien and Cyndie Gill. There is one thrown in of the stump grinding that happened around the courts. There is a neighbor of the park (Dave) who came over and ground the stumps for free. If anyone needs stump grinding, please send business his way. We can get you his contact info when you need it. Have a great week everyone!