Lexington Parks & Recreation is bringing good news to tennis and pickleball players – new courts and restored courts are coming to parks all over town.
These investments will restore courts that have aged and build new courts to match current trends.
“These sports are such excellent ways for people to stay active and socialize,” said Monica Conrad, Director of Lexington Parks & Recreation. “As we prioritized neighborhood infrastructure improvements in Lexington, tennis and pickleball courts were regularly identified as needing improvement or expansion. Our team is working hard to meet those needs and to offer many locations for people to enjoy both sports at our amazing local parks.”
Tennis courts will be rebuilt and restored at Belleau Woods, Constitution, Mount Tabor, Shillito and Woodland parks. Pickleball courts will be constructed at Constitution, Meadowbrook, Picadome, River Hill, Shillito, and the new Cardinal Run Park North. Courts at Belleau Woods and Mount Tabor parks will be double-striped for use by both sports.
The city has allocated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, local tax dollars, and district reallocation funds to support the rapid growth of pickleball, a nationwide trend, while also supporting tennis, which remains a popular sport in Lexington. The overall investment, including recently completed projects, totals just over $2.9 million.
“The rapid growth of pickleball and sustained popularity of tennis shows that people love visiting their local parks for matches with leagues, friends, and family,” said Michael Johnson, Deputy Director of Enterprise for Lexington Parks & Recreation, which oversees Athletics and Planning & Design for the division. “Our team has been hard at work, expediting and shepherding each of these projects through to completion.”
Upon completion of all projects, there will be public tennis courts in 15 parks across Lexington and public pickleball available at 13 parks. For a list of current court locations, which will be updated as projects reach completion, visit lexingtonky.gov/tennis or lexingtonky.gov/pickleball.
Parks & Recreation, a division of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government, oversees the programming, maintenance, and development of over 100 city parks and natural areas, six pools, five golf courses, five community centers, recreational programs and camps, and three arts venues. To find out more, follow @LexKYParks on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or sign up for the email newsletter.