LCRA, City of Bellville award $18,010 grant to Bellville Pickleball League

New courts, bleachers and sidewalks will help facility accommodate more players

Dec. 7, 2023

Lower Colorado River Authority representatives present an $18,010 grant to the Bellville Pickleball League for improvements to its pickleball courts. The grant is part of LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program. Pictured, from left to right, are: Michele Inglish, league treasurer; Suzy Cannon, Paige Imwalle and Larry Cannon, league members; Daniel Imwalle, league president; Miriam McReynolds, league member; Margaret D. “Meg” Voelter, LCRA Board member; Linda Niehuus and Pat Allee, league members; Nicole Poenitzsch, Bellville Independent School District superintendent; Greg Kirk, league past president; Kate Ramzinski, LCRA Regional Affairs representative; and Larry McReynolds, league member.

BELLVILLE, Texas – Bellville Pickleball League will complete work on four new courts and add two sets of bleachers and connecting sidewalks, thanks to an $18,010 grant from the Lower Colorado River Authority and the City of Bellville. The Community Development Partnership Program grant, along with $5,900 in matching funds from Bellville Pickleball League, will pay for surfacing, installing nets and painting court lines on four new pickleball courts. The funds also will add two new sets of bleachers and sidewalks connecting the bleachers and courts to the existing park sidewalk. The courts are open to the public and are free to use. “With these additions, we will be able to welcome even more people to learn about and enjoy this fun sport,” said Daniel Imwalle, Bellville Pickleball League president and USA Pickleball ambassador for Bellville. “These courts are open and accessible to the public almost all the time because we only reserve the courts for membership play from 7-9 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays and 8-10 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.” Imwalle also works with schoolchildren in kindergarten through fifth grade to encourage them to try a new sport and increase their outdoor activity. “Now that we are growing, we have kids coming by from schools, church groups seeing what we are about, and people just stopping by to find out more,” Imwalle said. “We offer free introductory clinics and we also just give suggestions or answer questions from people we see playing who look like they might want to learn more about the sport.” Anyone interested in pickleball can reach out to the league, which now has 115 members, through the contact information displayed on signs at the courts or through the league’s Facebook page. “We want to create a sense of community through pickleball promoting good sportsmanship, communication and social interaction with residents,” Imwalle said. “This is a safe and fun place for people in the community to enjoy, regardless of your age or experience playing.” The community grant is one of 45 grants awarded recently through LCRA’s Community Development Partnership Program, which helps volunteer fire departments, local governments, emergency responders and nonprofit organizations fund capital improvement projects in LCRA’s wholesale electric, water and transmission service areas. The program is part of LCRA’s effort to give back to the communities it serves. The City of Bellville is one of LCRA’s wholesale electric customers and is a partner in the grant program.

Applications for the next round of grants will be accepted in January. More information is available at lcra.org/cdpp.

About LCRA

The Lower Colorado River Authority serves customers and communities throughout Texas by managing the lower Colorado River; generating and transmitting electric power; providing a clean, reliable water supply; and offering outdoor adventures at more than 40 parks along the Colorado River from the Texas Hill Country to the Gulf Coast. LCRA and its employees are committed to fulfilling our mission to enhance the quality of life of the Texans we serve through water stewardship, energy and community service. LCRA was created by the Texas Legislature in 1934 and receives no state appropriations.

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