RECS Pickleball Expansion Controversy: The Portland Athletic Club (PAC), a long-standing sports facility in Southwest Portland, may soon be sold to an indoor pickleball business. The club, founded nearly 50 years ago, is at the center of a family dispute over ownership and its future.
Club’s Future in Question
PAC’s founder, 84-year-old Marion Blackburn, has dementia and is under 24-hour care. Since July, his sister, Glenda Hall-Blackburn, has acted as his conservator. Court documents indicate she is preparing to sell PAC to RECS, a Clackamas County-based indoor pickleball facility, for $4.95 million.
The news came as a shock to Blackburn’s family members who currently run the club. His grandson, Dominic Waters, expressed his frustration, stating that the family has attempted to purchase PAC but has been ignored by Hall-Blackburn.
“I’m just proud of this place, and I’d like to, for myself and my family, keep it in the family,”. “It’s really important and for the community, man, all these little kids growing up and playing here.”(Dominic Waters)
A Legacy of Inclusion
Blackburn established PAC in 1977 to provide a space for tennis players of all backgrounds. Denied membership at other Portland-area tennis clubs because he was Black, Blackburn built his own facility. His long-time friend and tennis pro, Jack Neer recalled the sacrifices Blackburn made to create the club.
“Marion did this whole thing. He had had 3-4 jobs; he was always working,” said Neer, now 91, who left another club to work at PAC and continues coaching young athletes there.
The club has remained a vital part of the community, offering affordable and accessible programs for young players. Parents and children who rely on PAC have started a petition to prevent the sale.
“It feels kind of like home to me, like everybody knows who I am,”. “I’ve been here forever so it’s just really heartbreaking to see it go”(12-year-old Noah Mathis)
“It energizes me to see my friends here playing with them, having fun,”. “I was just having bad dreams about it [closing] every night”(10-year-old Carla Ilau)
Pickleball’s Rising Influence
If the sale goes through, PAC may transition into an indoor pickleball facility under RECS. Pickleball has seen a rapid rise in popularity across the U.S., often replacing traditional tennis spaces. While the sport attracts a growing player base, some community members worry about losing a historic tennis institution.
Waters maintains that PAC is financially stable and disputes Hall-Blackburn’s claims that it is struggling. He believes his grandfather would have given his family the first right to buy it.
“From my perspective, I know my grandfather would give us first right of refusal,”. “He offered me to buy it in 2021; that’s in the court documents as well, and I wasn’t prepared to do it at the time, but now, I am.”(Dominic Waters)
Hall-Blackburn asserts in court filings that Blackburn understood the need to sell before his condition worsened. The family has challenged her conservatorship and requested a pause in the sale until the court resolves the dispute.
KGW has reached out to Hall-Blackburn and RECS for comment but has not yet received a response.
News in Brief: RECS Pickleball Expansion Controversy
The Portland Athletic Club, founded in 1977, faces potential sale to pickleball business RECS. Family members oppose the deal, seeking to keep the club in the family. Founder Marion Blackburn, now battling dementia, established PAC to promote inclusion in tennis. A court dispute may delay the $4.95 million sale.
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