Johnson County Commissioner Ron West, left, prepares to volley while playing pickleball on the new courts at Freedom Park on Thursday in Greenwood. Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
Pickleball players have a new place to serve, volley and play in tournaments in Greenwood.
City leaders, community members and pickleball fans gathered Thursday to officially open a new $1.3 million pickleball complex at Freedom Park. With 16 courts, the Freedom Park Pickleball Complex is the largest pickleball facility of its kind in Johnson County.
“We want to keep people in our city healthy, happy and whole. We want economic development,” said Mayor Mark Myers. “These things bring economic development into our community. It’s bringing people into the community and helps keep us in better shape.”
The complex is arranged into quads with a center walkway running between the 16 courts. Players have access to Freedom Park’s restrooms and parking lot, which includes an additional 120 parking spots constructed as part of the pickleball complex project, city officials said.
The pickleball facility will be open to the public seven days a week. It will operate from dawn to dusk with lights and fencing around all courts.
For the $1.3 million cost, about $950,000 is being paid for with tax incremental financing, or TIF, funds. The parks department committed another $500,000, along with using grant opportunities. The facility came in on budget, said Rob Taggart, parks and recreation executive director.
Adding more pickleball courts addresses increasing demand. Pickleball is growing extremely fast both locally and nationally.
“Pickleball has been very popular throughout the U.S.; there’s been a great demand for that,” said Taggart, who donned a green T-shirt that said, “Fear my paddle.”
“We’ve got a strong pickleball community here in Greenwood and Johnson County. This has been a great project to fulfill that deficiency for pickleball,” he said.
Greenwood already has seven pickleball courts at Craig Park, four at the Greenwood Fieldhouse and four courts at the Community Center. The Freedom Park Pickleball Complex will bring the total number of pickleball courts at city park facilities to 31 — 23 of which are outdoors, Taggart said.
“[The number is] pretty impressive. I think it shows Greenwood’s initiative toward the pickleball community, toward the Greenwood community and for recreational needs as well,” Taggart said. “The only thing I don’t like about that number is it’s an odd number, right? So we’ve probably got to do something about that in the future.”
The new complex will also offer recreational opportunities, like leagues, and new tournament opportunities for residents and visitors. Tournaments could draw visitors from across the region, city officials said.
“With the expanded pickleball community that we have here right now, we’re now able to have tournaments right here on the site,” Myers said.
The parks department has already planned the first tournament to take place at the complex. The inaugural Freedom Cup is planned for July 13 and 14, and those who want to get involved should reach out to the parks department, Taggart said.
Residents can rent courts at the facility to host private tournaments and events. Pickleball complex rentals can be made through the parks department, according to the city.
Myers is “extremely excited” to see the courts open and already in use, he said. Pickleball players were lined up before the facility’s grand opening waiting for their chance to try out the new courts.
Once the ribbon cutting was over, more than a dozen players of all ages took a spot on the courts. This included Johnson County Commissioner Ron West, who is a USA Pickleball-certified referee.
“It’s great to see the people get out and want to be active, be healthy, be a part of the community and help out in our community,” Myers said.
While the Freedom Park Pickleball Complex addresses recreational needs, it also helps with Greenwood’s economic development. As officials talk to different businesses looking to come to the city, one of the questions that is asked is what the city can offer their employees, Myers said.
“This is one more of those things that we have to offer to the employees, to the residents, that brings more people, more business, more development into our community,” he said.
Greenwood is growing “all the time,” and the city is always adding amenities to make things better for residents. The goal is to make people live, work, stay and play in Greenwood, Myers said.
Myers is also working to get the city nationally certified as a Healthy City USA through the U.S. Conference of Mayors, he said.
With the facility now open, the parks department will continue to grow and listen to the residents of Greenwood to address their recreational needs, Taggart said.
As for Myers, he hopes to see people out on the courts every day. He also hopes it brings more people into the community and lets others know more about what Greenwood has to offer, he said.
