On the morning of Oct. 14, a Newsberg reporter in Jaquith Park's east parking lot could still hear the "plink" of paddle on ball from the new courts. The sound was quieter now, at a level the city had judged acceptable. Through the clear panels around the courts, the players showed up only as blurred shapes moving back and forth after the bright green ball.
That scene came about ten months later than planned. Chehalem Park & Recreation District broke ground in September 2025 and expected to finish that December. According to Newsberg, the delays came from weather and from neighbors' concerns about the noise of a typical pickleball match, and the panels now address the noise side. What the courts still lack is protection from the weather. That means a roof and lights, and the project's own plans put both in a second phase that has no date yet. So for their first winter, whether you can play at Jaquith depends on the forecast.
The Courts Were Built to Answer a Noise Question First
The six dedicated pickleball courts sit on what used to be open lawn on the east side of the park, between the tennis courts and the horseshoe pavilion. Next to them is a staging area where players can watch, store gear and rest between games.
When the City of Newberg approved the project's design in 2025, it attached a noise mitigation requirement. Earlier this year CPRD asked for a waiver. The city turned it down in April because the courts are close to nearby homes, and CPRD chose not to appeal, Newsberg reported in July.
Newsberg puts a typical pickleball match at roughly 65 to 70 decibels under the city's noise condition. CPRD chose clear panels from Sport Surfaces' Sonic Guard SonicShield Vision line, which are rated to cut noise by up to 14 decibels. The panels keep sound from leaving the courts by bouncing it back toward the players.
The players have noticed. "It's more echo-y in there, that's for sure," Newberg Pickleball Club member Ray Cozby told Newsberg on Oct. 14. "But it's for a good reason, and it doesn't affect your play." He also liked having courts with only pickleball lines on them. Over on the tennis courts, he said, "there are all sorts of lines that are distracting."
How the Opening Date Kept Moving
The panels were what everyone was waiting on, and their arrival date slipped more than once:
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| July 2025 | CPRD awards a $785,879 contract to Lee Contractors for the tennis and pickleball work |
| September 2025 | Groundbreaking, with completion expected December 2025 |
| April 2026 | City denies CPRD's request to waive the noise mitigation requirement |
| Early June 2026 | Panels on order, expected by mid-July with installation within a week |
| July 30, 2026 | Four resurfaced tennis courts reopen; pickleball target moves to late August |
| Oct. 12, 2026 | Players step onto the pickleball courts for the first time |
| Oct. 22, 2026 | CPRD announces the courts are officially open while final inspections continue |
The opening itself happened quietly. According to Newsberg, the Newberg Pickleball Club saw that the entrance doors were unlocked once the contractor finished installing the panels. Members filled all six courts on Monday, Oct. 12, and again at their Wednesday meetup two days later. "When I saw it, it's jaw-dropping, it's awesome," Cozby said. "Everybody kind of gave up on it, I think."
What "Open" Means Right Now
CPRD made it official in an Oct. 22 news update. The public can now use the new pickleball courts and the resurfaced tennis courts, but the project isn't finished. Project Manager Casey Creighton says the district is still evaluating three things: how the court surfaces perform, how well the sound panels work, and the remaining work on lighting, irrigation and landscaping.
CPRD will formally accept the project once inspections are done, any problems are fixed, and everyone involved agrees the requirements have been met. Until then, the district is working with the contractor, consultants, manufacturers and suppliers to decide whether anything needs to change first. In other words, the panels are still being tested at the same time the courts are in daily use.
For now, the club's regular schedule is the best guide to when the courts are busy. According to Newsberg, the Newberg Pickleball Club usually plays at the park Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 to 10:30 a.m.
The Piece That Would Make It a Year-Round Park
When the build-out is done, Jaquith will have two dedicated tennis courts, six dedicated pickleball courts and two dual-purpose courts. Depending on demand, that works out to four tennis courts and six pickleball courts, or two tennis courts and 12 pickleball courts. At full pickleball setup, that's double the six courts the club found unlocked in October.
What the current contract doesn't cover is shelter. Newsberg's July report describes a second phase, still unscheduled, that would add a cover, lighting and seating for year-round play. The project goes back to a recommendation from the CPRD Newberg Pickleball Citizens' Advisory Committee, which formed in 2021. Board liaison Nick Konen told Newsberg that the goal has always been the same:
"From the beginning, our goal and hope were for covered, well-lit, dedicated pickleball courts. Our goal was to recommend a project that will ultimately allow pickleball to be played year-round."
That puts the October opening in context. The courts that just opened are dedicated courts, which was one of the committee's three goals. Covered and well lit, the other two, are still to come.
Where the Games Go When It Rains
Cozby told Newsberg there were still plenty of good playing days left before the weather turned cold and rainy. When it does, the club moves indoors. Here are the places that come up in local coverage and club listings:
- Chehalem Aquatic and Fitness Center, 1802 Haworth Ave. According to Cozby, this is where the club plays on its indoor courts when the weather is bad. CPRD posts details for the center on its facility page.
- Grounded Body, home of Court 51, 17405 NW Panther Creek Road, Carlton. The club held $5 indoor sessions here earlier this year with advance signup, including a members-only session on Jan. 10 and a March 14 session split by skill level. The facility's booking site lists hours of 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., seven days a week.
- Snyder Park in Sherwood. Before Jaquith opened, Cozby said, most Newberg players drove to Snyder Park, and the lack of consistent courts close to home cost the club a lot of members. He expects them to come back now that Jaquith is open.
Indoor sessions are announced through the Newberg Pickleball Club's events page. According to its About page, the club also offers clinics, community events and shared equipment for members.
Until there's a schedule for the cover and lights, playing in Newberg this winter means two plans: Jaquith on dry days, and a gym when it rains. CPRD's next update on final acceptance will show whether the panels pass their evaluation.
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