Bellingham Pickleball Club and Whatcom Community College has announced an innovative partnership to bring 12 new covered pickleball courts to the WCC campus.
“The community college has always been involved and interested in pickleball,” said Cathie Badalamenti, Bellingham Pickleball Club’s secretary. “It was a matter of the college going through criteria because of it being an educational facility.”
WCC currently has seven outdoor pickleball courts open to the public throughout the year. However, indoor pickleball options are very limited in Whatcom County. When the winter arrives, pickleball players can play at Armory Pickleball, Cordata Elementary, Fairhaven Middle School or Bellingham Fitness.
If Whatcom County residents are willing to travel to stay dry, they can travel to Skagit Valley College in Mount Vernon to play at the Blackburn Pickleball Pavilion.
“The idea is that it would be very similar to the one in Skagit,” Badalamenti said. “The design would be relatively similar because that design has been successful.”
The new pickleball courts will be located in WCC’s parking lot across the street from the current pickleball courts and north of Orca Field and the tennis courts.
Donor Claude Blackburn, 73, is contributing $2 million and an additional anonymous donor is providing $125,000.
“I thought people would want my money so I created a three-part vision,” Blackburn said in a previous interview. “I would cover 100 percent of a 12-court pickleball pavilion.”
Blackburn initially brought the idea to the Bellingham Parks Department and Western Washington University but was turned down. Blackburn, Bellingham Pickleball Club and WCC agreed on the project in December 2024.
The next step includes a feasibility study that will be completed around March or April. Afterward, the club and community college will know the budget and an approximate date of when it can be completed.
The Blackburn Pickleball Pavilion cost $1.7 million to build on the Skagit Valley College campus.
Both parties are also trying to find a name for the new facility. Badalamenti said one issue is the new facility will not be called a pavilion to avoid confusion for locals.
Once the facility is completed, it will be run similarly to the Blackburn Pickleball Pavilion. Bellingham Pickleball Club members and WCC students will have protected hours on most courts during the morning and evening. The new facility will also host tournaments and be open year-round to anybody interested in playing.
“This pavilion will become a community center for Bellingham,” Badalamenti said. “The vision is that it needs to be accessible to everyone and be a social event that bonds the community.”
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
