Pickleball Courts, Skate Park in the Works for Evansville

WNIN | By Tim Jagielo

Published June 1, 2022 at 5:32 PM CDT

Michael Watkins of the Evansville Pickleball Outdoor Courts (EPOC) Committee speaks at the Wednesday afternoon Board of Parks Commissioners meeting. EPOC has been helping the city with plans for a new pickleball facility.

Board of Parks Commissioners approves creating pickleball court designs, construction documents

A conceptual design for a possible pickleball/tennis court facility in Wesselman-Roberts Park, Evansville.

Several projects were put in motion at the The Evansville Board of Park Commissioners meeting Wednesday. The newest project could be a 24-court pickleball complex in the city of Evansville.

Pickleball’s popularity in the city of Evansville is growing, according to Deputy Mayor Stephen Schaefer. He said local facilities like the YMCA and CK Newsome Center fill their pickleball slots quickly through out the week.

"Evansville simply doesn't have the courts for for this sport to continue growing," Schaefer said. "So if you come over to CK Newsome (Center), or the YMCA …it's always packed when people want to play this new sport."

The game is a combination of table tennis and actual tennis, played on smaller courts.

Schaefer sought and received approval for about $1.5 million to develop a plan for phase I of a multipurpose facility at Wesselmen-Roberts Park.

"So now we get to work, we start that design process, finalizing the design and start to work on construction documents and getting ready to figure out what everyone wants in the final design," Schaefer said.

Members of the Evansville Pickleball Outdoor Courts (EPOC) committee were present to celebrate the board’s approval. EPOC has been advocating for the outdoor courts and advising Schaefer on the potential needs in a facility.

Schaefer says the planning process will take a few months. Preliminary plans include tennis courts as well.

The latest rendition of the new skatepark features new additions like the "amoeba bowl" and additional seating.

The City of Evansville is also ready to move forward with the groundbreaking of the new skatepark, most likely in late summer.

Named “Sunset Park,” the 27,000 square foot facility will be located on the riverfront beside the new pump station.

According to the park website — it will be the largest skatepark in Indiana when complete.

Schaefer said the real work can begin soon.

“Now, they finalized the design. And now we move forward with the actual work, moving dirt and trying to figure out more than likely a groundbreaking will be set late this summer.”

The park will feature obstacles along with an oval track and bicycle areas. New feature were added based on recent feedback sessions. Schaefer says it could be completed the first quarter of 2023.