South Whidbey residents have a brand new basketball court, courtesy of the South Whidbey Rotary Club.

On Saturday, Nov. 22, community members gathered for a grand opening celebration and dedication ceremony at Community Park.

The Rotary Club of South Whidbey pledged $15,000 to build the court and sought and received additional donations from community members. The community donated $16,500 and Rotary International added an additional $4,200 to the pool. The total cost of the court was $37,720.

Doug Coutts, member of the Rotary Club of Whidbey Westside and director of South Whidbey Parks and Recreation District, emceed. Little Dribblers coach and parks district basketball program coordinator Erin Mackie-Ratcliff demonstrated the proper way to dribble across the basketball court.

The South Whidbey Rotary Club’s former president Richard Davis thanked the community and Louis Muniz, who had originally suggested the idea of the court to South Whidbey Rotary Club four years ago, and all major contributors, according to Karen Franklin.

The names of those who contributed $1,000 or more to the creation of the court, including Angela Vosburg’s son Jacob Ng, are displayed on plaques mounted on a platform just outside the main entry to the court.