Bartholomew County planning new pickleball courts at Dunn park

Bartholomew County is planning to add pickleball courts to the Dunn Stadium park just north of the 4-H Fairgrounds.

Bartholomew County Commissioners yesterday approved a contract with DLZ to design and provide construction documents for the facility which will be a 12-court pickleball complex — the only public courts on the west side of Columbus. The county plans to spend up to $600,000 for the tournament-quality facility. The facility would also be lit at night, if the costs allow.

County Commissioners President Tony London said that pickleball has become a major recreational sport and it is available to players of all ages. London said that residents want amenities in their county parks and many of those amentias are focused just on children. He said this is an opportunity to provide recreation for people of all ages.

Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz suggested that the county could save money on the project by having some of the site work performed by county employees.

Charlie Day with DLZ said that the design would include an option for post-tension concrete surfaces. He said that when regular concrete inevitably cracks, it will separate making the courts uneven and unusable. However the post-tension design is compressed. While it would still crack, it would be held in place, not limiting its usability.

The fee approved for DLZ will be $73,500 to be paid for out of the county’s consulting budget.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Parks Department.