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Skateboard and Pickleball: City of Evansville in Holding Pattern on Two Major Parks Projects

Sunset Park West is the future site of the 27,000 square-foot skate park. Behind the trees is a large pile of dirt to elevate the site for construction. The city is waiting on finalized plans and approvals to begin construction.
Tim Jagielo
/
WNIN News
Sunset Park West is the future site of the 27,000 square-foot skate park. Behind the trees is a large pile of dirt to elevate the site for construction. The city is waiting on finalized plans and approvals to begin construction.

The Wesselman-Roberts Park Improvements, and the Sunset Park skate facility construction waiting on designs and bureaucratic approval

A conceptual design for a possible pickleball/tennis court facility in Wesselman-Roberts Park, Evansville.
City of Evansville
/
Hafer Architects
An initial conceptual design for a possible pickleball/tennis court facility in Wesselman-Roberts Park, Evansville. This plan is being updated to exclude stadium seating and a new entrance drive.

In early June, The Evansville Board of Parks Commissioners approved the budget for the creation of plans for two long-awaited projects. One is the skatepark along Veteran’s Parkway. The other includes 24 outdoor pickleball courts at Wesselman Woods to satisfy the growing local interest in the sport.

Right now, Deputy Mayor and Interim Parks Director Steven Schaefer said they’re waiting for things like final cost estimates and designs for the projects.

But otherwise, “we're ready to hit the ground running,” he said.

The Wesselman-Roberts Park improvements plans are currently being updated. They’ve decided to nix the new access drive and stadium seating from the original design. But, pickleball players can still look forward to the outside courts.

“The 24 courts are basically to to fill the demand in the area and allows our community to be a potential host for tournaments as well,” he said.

“We are anxious for the final design and the construction documents to be done still yet this year, and hoping to have funding in place so that potentially having a spring completion of the project.”

The Sunset Park skate facility will be 27,000 square feet, with a final design hopefully coming soon from Hunger Skateparks out of Bloomington. It will be located near the Mickey’s Kingdom playground and the new pump facility off of Veteran’s Parkway. Right now there’s a big pile of dirt to elevate the site.

They’re waiting on approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers, Levee Authority and CenterPoint Energy.

“The final design is 99-percent done,” Schaefer said. “So once we have the approvals from CenterPoint, the levy in the Corps, we'll be able to start to bid out the project.”

If all goes well, he says Sunset park could be done early next year, and Wesselman-Roberts improvements could be finished in spring.

The latest rendition of the new skatepark features new additions like the "amoeba bowl" and additional seating.
City of Evansville
/
Hunger Skateparks
The latest rendition of the new skatepark features new additions like the "amoeba bowl" and additional seating. This plan is also currently being updated by designer Hunger Skateparks out of Bloomington.