Four years ago, our Blair County Pickleball Club was given by the City of Altoona and the Blair Rec Commission two abandoned tennis courts in the back of Garfield Park to be used for the conversion to six new pickleball courts.

All we had to do was privately raise the funds to pursue this new court construction. Over the course of four months, over $90,000 was raised and in June 2022, we dedicated our new courts.

As a follow-up gesture, the City and Rec Commission subsequently procured DCNR funds to build walking trails surrounding these courts, renovate the existing pavilion, install a new children’s playground, construct added parking spaces and provide six state-of-the-art lights overlooking our courts for evening play.

The resulting product has been an ideal partnership between our club, the City of Altoona and the Blair Rec Commission and I would like to personally single out Nate Kissel (City of Altoona) and Mike Hofer (BRC) for supporting our vision and always having an open ear and mind to our ideas and suggestions.

The project is not quite complete, but once the grass is in full coverage and we receive the keys to the lights, this park and these courts should provide countless hours of play and activity for pickleball, soccer, baseball, softball and walking enthusiasts.

Thank you to everyone who either contributed, worked or participated toward this project’s success. It’s truly a testimony to everyone pulling together to achieve their common goal.

Rick Karcher

Hollidaysburg