Community comes together to finish multi-use court

The new multi-use court in Trout Creek Park is finally finished. Trout Creek Community Improvement Association's (TCCIA) efforts to make this possible has been a process in the making for several years but officially started in 2021.

"When I first joined the TCCIA around 2010 the topic always came up about what we could do to enhance our park and provide more outdoor activities for people of all ages in our community to enjoy," said TCCIA chairperson Liz Stender. "The Trout Creek School's playground became a high priority and we teamed up with the school, assisting with grant writing, and we were able to build an amazing new playground at the school around 2012."

After the school project was completed, TCCIA shifted its focus on park enhancements and looking for grant opportunities. Last year they were successful in constructing the "Bobbin Trout" pirate ship playground donated by and recycled from Avista. "During this time, I had started researching opportunities for pickleball and basketball courts," Stender said. "The interest in the community was strong and I knew if we found a way to make it happen it would become an excellent addition to the Trout Creek Park for community members to enjoy."

After doing some research, Stender discovered a type of court surface that is overlaid on concrete. "I requested information from a local court installer, and I got a call from Beau Paulsen of Treasure State Athletics," she said. "After a few phone calls with Beau last spring and sharing information about the Trout Creek CIA and what we do to help the community, Beau called me back with an opportunity to purchase a pickleball and basketball dura-court (lightly used) at a great discount."

Stender says this came with installation and an in-ground basketball hoop, as well as the pickleball netting system and lines painted. "The TCCIA began asking the community for donations to help cover the concrete needed before the court could be installed," she said. The estimated costs to pour a 30-foot by 60-foot slab was around $5,000 just for materials.

"In the meanwhile, I sent a letter to the Frisbee Morbella Foundation with the quote for the court from Treasure State Athletics and Frisbee Morbella Foundation agreed to pay for the court," Stender said. The quote was for over $6,000.

A few more phone calls later Stender had Mike Erwin and Dustin Nelson with Hi-Land Construction, who volunteered their time to start prepping the site in the park. That began in June of this year after being delayed late last summer due to fire restrictions.

"Shortly after the site was prepped and ready, Timberline Concrete & Construction owned by Billy Joe Moore came out and donated the labor to complete our concrete slab, and Trout Creek CIA paid for the materials," Stender said.

On August 5, final stages of construction began when Treasure State owners Beau Paulsen and Nathan Lapinski made the trip from Missoula to install the court. With installation complete, TCCIA will start requesting bids for the fencing to surround the court.

"Once again, this is an excellent example of a community teaming up to get a project complete," Stender exclaimed. "Without the help of the community supporting TCCIA and without these wonderful businesses taking time out of their busy schedules to make this happen, well, it wouldn't have been possible."

Stender says the cost of a new court from start to finish would have been easily over $20,000 if they were paying for all the time, labor and materials. "Once again, I feel very thankful and grateful to live in Sanders County," she said.