Lowman Beach tennis court’s days are numbered: Six

If you want to play tennis at the Lowman Beach Park court one last time before it’s removed as part of the shore-restoration project, you have six days. Seattle Parks says its contractor McClung Construction will be starting work next Monday (September 13th) and that means, according to project manager Janice Liang, “The park will be partially closed during construction including the beach, tennis court, and the gravel walkways. The play area and the part of the lawn area close to the street will remain open.” The $1.2 million shore-restoration project will remove the failing seawall on the north side of the park, creating more beach space, and daylighting the stretch of Pelly Creek that currently leads to an outfall pipe in the seawall. The work is expected to last at least eight months. Earlier this summer, Parks ruled out building a replacement tennis court elsewhere in the park, but said it would consider allowing something smaller, like a pickleball court – provided community fundraising covered the cost; nothing is planned so far.

10 Replies to "Lowman Beach tennis court's days are numbered: Six"

  • KT September 7, 2021 (6:21 pm)

    Parks “said  it would consider allowing something smaller, like a pickleball court – provided community fundraising covered the cost”.  Hmmm.  Aren’t property taxes the same as community fundraising?  

  • Auntie September 7, 2021 (6:40 pm)

    Since Parks is funded by levies (i.e. property taxes) I would prefer that my property taxes be used on projects that benefit the community as a whole, not a handful of pickleball players. Just keep Lowman Beach as a park.

    • Elton September 7, 2021 (8:46 pm)

      +1 for fiscal responsibility Property taxes aren’t an infinite supply of money. 

    • Charles Burlingame September 8, 2021 (1:27 pm)

      Hear hear! Time to turn over the West Seattle Golf Course.

  • Wendy B. September 7, 2021 (7:31 pm)

    Pickleball is taking over tennis courts everywhere. It’s very unfortunate.

  • Robin Murphy September 7, 2021 (8:19 pm)

    The park needs a bathroom or at least a honey bucket!

  • Scott A September 8, 2021 (11:57 am)

    I am sorry to see the tennis court leave, but I know that a pickleball court or two would get immediate and frequent use.  It’s a great sport, especially for active elders, who will benefit from good outdoor opportunities.I hope that beach use and access will be prioritized with courts positioned away from the water.  Good wheelchair access, a bathroom (kind of ironic that a sewage treatment area doesn’t have one…), and regular garbage collection would keep Lowman Beach as a prized West Seattle feature and community oasis/refuge, especially as summers are likely to be progressively hotter and drier.Whom do we contact about fundraising?

    • Sandi S September 12, 2021 (1:14 pm)

      I’m not sure who the contact person at SPR is, but a good start would be info@seattlemetropickleball.com. The Seattle Metro Pickleball Association assisted in fundraising for the nets at Delridge and High Point. https://seattlemetropickleball.com/about/

    • Auntie September 12, 2021 (1:34 pm)

      A pickleball court or two could be created at the tennis courts up on Fauntleroy, just a few blocks away and the park could be just a park. Nothing wrong with it being just a park!

  • Jane September 9, 2021 (7:58 am)

    The less concrete the better. A court will only detract from the unique beauty and location of the park, as well as disrupt the rhythms of natural wildlife (i.e. the resting seals) with the constant noise and crowding. Let the special location on the water be the draw and stand-alone beauty of the park itself, without the eyesore of a random concrete square of a court.

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