Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Courts built for pickleball eyed in Fayetteville
Fundraising, land acquisition also discussed by parks board
FAYETTEVILLE — Parks and Recreation Advisory Board members on Monday discussed potentially renovating tennis courts at Wilson Park for pickleball, areas of the city that could be targeted for parkland acquisition and creating a fundraising nonprofit.
Board members in December asked parks staff how many people were playing pickleball at Wilson Park. Staff got an idea by placing game cameras at the park’s tennis courts from Dec. 12 to Jan. 9. The two cameras sensed movement and snapped a picture every five minutes.
There are no city-owned courts built specifically for pickleball, said Alison Jumper, director of parks, natural resources and cultural affairs. The junior tennis courts at Wilson Park are striped for pickleball but aren’t standard size for the sport, she said.
“They’re too short. You’re hitting the fence; you don’t have the space in between the courts that is needed,” Jumper said. “We’re making due with those because the demand is so high. We had to do something, and this is what we were able to do quickly.”
Pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping pong. It’s played indoors or outdoors on a badminton-sized court and a slightly modified tennis net. Singles or doubles players use a paddle and a plastic ball with holes, according to USA Pickleball. It’s the fastest-growing sport in America, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association.
Park Planner Zach Foster said data revealed tennis courts at Wilson Park were occupied longer for pickleball than tennis and there were more pickleball players than tennis players in general. Courts filled up with pickleball players more often than they did with tennis players, he said.
Ted Jack, park planning superintendent, said it would be possible to keep four of the five full- sized tennis courts, while turning one of the courts and the junior-sized tennis courts into eight lighted pickleball courts. Estimated cost on the project is about $700,000, he said.
Resident Jason Smith attended the meeting and said
no one uses the junior-sized tennis courts for tennis. He said his 8-year-old child plays tennis on the big courts.
Renovating the tennis courts at Wilson Park would be easier than trying to build a new pickleball court somewhere else in town, Smith said. Demand is high now, and many people, including himself, end up going to Bentonville to play pickleball, he said.
The board held off a decision until its April 3 meeting to get more information on where money would come from for the project.
In other business, Jack presented the board with potential areas of town where the city may look to acquire land to build new parks.
The city collects fees from developers of new residential properties that it uses for park development. Most of the time the money goes toward improving existing parks, rather than acquiring new land, Jumper said. Revenue from fees stays within the quadrant of the city they are generated.
Most of the available land and money would be on the western and southern ends of town, Jack said.
Board Chairman Will Dockery said he’s heard from multiple residents concerned with access to the city’s parks.
“As the parks board, we’re asked to not only think about the quality, but the equity of our parks system,” he said.
Additionally, Vice Board Chairman Stephen Sheely suggested the board form subcommittees focusing on fundraising, communication and partnerships. The smaller groups would focus on goals outlined in the updated parks and recreation master plan, which the City Council will consider adopting today.
Board members expressed enthusiasm for getting started on a fundraising subcommittee. The idea would be to develop a “friends of” nonprofit that could raise money for parks. Money could be used for capital projects, land acquisition and bolstering volunteerism, Sheely said.