The South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District was awarded a grant for pickleball courts but it’s unclear if they will be able to use it.

Recreation Supervisor Skye Dunn said the state Recreation and Conservation Office recently awarded one of South Whidbey Parks and Recreation’s grant applications, which would help fund the design and construction of six pickleball courts at the sports complex on Langley Road. The grant is for $250,000.

However, Matt Simms, an elected member of the board, explained that the district does not have the matching funds required to secure the first grant, which is a requirement of the grant. Currently, district officials are hopeful they will receive a second round of funding — another $250,000 — that they applied for specifically for this reason.

In the meantime, Simms said the district will work on some prep work on the site so the district will be ready to begin work if the funds become available.

“It’s been a great experience going through this,” he said. “Hopefully, in a not too distant future, we will have a world-class pickleball facility for the public to use.”