James E. Russell opening approaches

SANDPOINT — In the coming weeks, one of the most expansive community recreation projects in Sandpoint’s history will finally be open to the public. 

At 9 a.m. Nov. 28, city officials will host an open house to showcase the James E. Russell Sports Center: an 18-court tennis and pickleball facility at Travers Park. After the building’s floor is sealed and the final touches are applied, the courts will open for public play in early December. 

The creation of the facility was enabled by a $7.5 million donation to the city in 2022 by Ginny and Jim Russell. The Russells gifted the funds to honor husband and father James Russell, a lifelong sports enthusiast who passed away in 2019.

Sandpoint’s Community Planning and Development Director Jason Welker described the gift as “the biggest donation that any city in Idaho has ever received for a park project.” After receiving the funds, the city constructed the center over the course of 13 months, along with an inclusive playground, a splashpad, public restrooms, new pathways, a resurfaced parking lot and vegetation improvements.

The project was not without its critics. Leading up to construction, some community members objected to the Russell Center’s placement after it became clear that 20 mature trees would need to be taken down to make space for the facility. In October 2023, several residents were removed from the property by law enforcement after chaining themselves to a willow tree in an attempt to prevent its removal. 

While the initial $7.5 million gift covered construction costs at the Russell Center, users will fund maintenance and staffing through fees. “We don't use general fund dollars to provide recreation and parks to the city. We use user fee dollars. The same is going to be true for the sports center,” Welker said. 

Welker cited War Memorial Field — which was constructed using funds generated by a local option sales tax but is maintained with fees charged to event hosts like Festival at Sandpoint — as a similar example. 

“Once it was done, taxes didn't continue to support the operation of that field. Use of the field has to support operations,” Welker said. 

According to Welker, developing a fee structure that balances the needs of both frequent players and newcomers is a unique challenge. 

To create a system, Welker surveyed potential users and considered the needs of the community. Eventually, he landed on a $40 per month membership with an individual fee of $2-5, depending on sport and season, each time a member plays. For non-members, the fee is $15 per play session. 

“We view that as a very fair, equitable fee schedule,” Welker said.  

According to Welker, his goal is to create a system that not only covers the cost of operating the facility but also maximizes the center’s utility to all residents. 

“I had one person say, ‘Why not just make it $120 per month and then free after that?’” Welker said. Based on similar comments he received, Welker estimated the city could recoup the center’s operating costs with that structure but said it wouldn’t align with Sandpoint’s goals. 

“Our objective is not just to cover our costs of operation, but to get as many users in there as possible,” said Welker. 

For prospective users hoping to “try before they buy,” the center will host a free 90-minute open-play period every day, and rental pickleball equipment will be available for newcomers to the sport. 

“My hope is that the courts are packed, and those adults who really value that space are like, ‘Wow, this facility is cool,’” Welker said of the open-play periods at an Aug. 7 city council meeting. 

For residents under the age of 19, access to the facility will always be free: a decision Welker described as “one of our guiding principles” and a way to provide kids with an enriching activity, especially during winter months. 

In addition to serving tennis and pickleball enthusiasts, the Russell Center project includes amenities for community members who may not have an interest in racquet sports. Several play structures have been installed along the west edge of the building, including an accessible slide and a merry-go-round with panels painted by local artists. 

A community room in the building is slated to be a hub for kids camps during summers and school breaks, and a total of 88 trees are queued to be planted around the complex to replace the 20 removed last year. 

“This park is going to be a forest,” said Welker. “You're going to be walking into a fully canopied forest with play equipment. It's going to be amazing.” 

Some community members have expressed concern that this year’s recent boom in investment at Travers Park — which includes a skatepark expansion in addition to the Russell Center and its surrounding infrastructure — has neglected residents in other Sandpoint neighborhoods. 

According to Welker, the decision to invest heavily at the site this summer helped minimize project costs by allowing the use of equipment and workers already at the park. 

“There's been huge cost savings to the city,” Welker said. “We’ve spent a ton of money, but we’ve saved a ton of money by doing all of these projects at once.” 

Welker expressed a desire to invest in projects across Sandpoint’s parks in the future, but noted the limitations of the city’s six-figure parks capital improvement budget. “There're parks that we would love to put some attention towards. It's just a matter of funding and what the community thinks of as priorities going forward.” 

With the infrastructure in place, Sandpoint officials hope the Russell Center will facilitate community activity and foster local interest in racquet sports for years to come. 

“When it comes to new sports facilities in the community, you're not building sports facilities for the community of players that exist today. You're building sports facilities to grow the community of players,” Welker said. 

“When we built 16 miles of new mountain bike trails in the Syringa system, the mountain bike community exploded,” said Welker. “It’s the same with tennis and pickleball.” 

While Sandpoint is known as a ski or lake town to many, the Russells’ gift and the excitement that has sprung from it paints a clearer picture of what the city really is — a community with a spirit of generosity and a passion for recreation of all types.

    Infrastructure including a new playground, a splash pad, an accessible slide, new pathways, a resurfaced parking lot, public restrooms and 88 trees are being installed at Travers Park to complement the new facility.