Pickleball comes to Burlington
JILL SCHRAMM/MDN A pickleball court is open for play in Burlington. The new court next to the community splashpad was the joint venture of DeSour Valley Economic Development Corp. and the City of Burlington.
JILL SCHRAMM/MDN A Burlington water tower painting honoring veterans and members of the military was a project funded through the DeSour Valley Economic Development Corp. three years ago.
JILL SCHRAMM/MDN A pickleball court is open for play in Burlington. The new court next to the community splashpad was the joint venture of DeSour Valley Economic Development Corp. and the City of Burlington.
JILL SCHRAMM/MDN A Burlington water tower painting honoring veterans and members of the military was a project funded through the DeSour Valley Economic Development Corp. three years ago.
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BURLINGTON - It didn't take long once the nets went up on Burlington's new pickleball court last weekend for the players to come and test it out.
The court was a joint project of DeSour Valley Economic Development Corp., which provided the funding, and the City of Burlington, which oversaw construction of the facility.
The community had been working toward constructing a pickleball court for a couple of years. The trigger to get it done this summer was the completion of $50,000 in fundraising.
Andy Fimrite, president of DeSour Valley, said the EDC receives funds through Ward County and from investments to support projects to promote or improve the community. It was able to draw on those funds, along with grants from the Aggie Foundation and INSPIRITUS Foundation, to support the pickleball project, he said.
Construction started in May and finished on Friday, Aug. 7.
Jerick Hedges, a Burlington City Council member at the time, was part of a local decision board with representatives of the city, EDC and community. He said the board determined there was a need to build another pickleball court in the Minot-Burlington area.
"We found that it did seem like a pretty popular idea," he said.
The plan was to build the court next to the splashpad installed in 2019 through EDC fundraising.
"We owned the land," Hedges said of the city. "We wanted to just make sure that we had a voice at the table, so we could plan out where it was going and how it was done. We wanted to make sure it's ADA-compliant and connected to our existing sidewalks."
The city will be maintaining the property as well.
"It's a great project for the city. It already sounds like it's going to be a good success," Hedges said.
DeSour Valley EDC has had a number of successes in recent years. It partnered with Beyond Shelter in the development of the 40-unit Burlington Willows housing project that opened in 2016. It also has partnered on other housing projects in Burlington, has served as a conduit for a grant to bring sewer and water to a development and helped fund an elevator in the senior citizens housing complex.
Mayor Jack Anderson, who serves on the EDC board, said the city expects to continue its growth, with land still available for about 100 new homes.
Burlington recently gained a new business when Rolling Hills Lumber of Max opened a showroom in the community.
Among other previous EDC projects have been a city welcome sign, digital announcement sign and a painting on one of its water towers to honor military members and veterans. It helped with new lights on the school football field and grass on Burlington Recreation Commission's ball diamonds after the 2011 flood, along with a pitch counter on the scoreboard. It pays for the flowers that adorn Burlington's walking paths in the summer.
The EDC's local business promotion has included advertising on the electronic sign and gift card giveaways to new teachers. Each year, the EDC also awards college scholarships to selected students.
The EDC recently donated $10,000 to the Ward County Historical Society for a proposed gun museum at its Pioneer Village in Burlington. Another $10,000 will be released when the society’s fundraising reaches $100,000. The EDC had donated land to the historical society to facilitate a move from Minot in 2019.
With the completion of the pickleball court, the EDC board already is looking down the road for its next project. Fimrite said another ball diamond at the recreation complex is high on the list, as an estimated 300 recreation program participants are stretching the capacity of the community's current facilities.