Evanston’s Parks and Recreation Board discussed construction and renovation costs to establish dedicated pickleball courts in the city at its meeting Thursday.

The board hopes to convert four of six tennis courts at James Park to pickleball courts. Along with the two remaining double-lined tennis courts, the plan would produce 11 pickleball courts, including one adaptive court, at the park. 

In a memo, the board also recommended converting two of four tennis courts at Leahy Park to pickleball courts, producing six pickleball courts.

“If you believe in pickleball, you believe in tennis, so encourage your councilmembers to do what we need to do for courts all over the city,” Parks and Recreation Director Audrey Thompson said.

Thompson added that because the city already has “unplayable” tennis courts at Ackerman Park, it should resurface other tennis courts in the city in order to bring tennis players who currently play elsewhere back into Evanston.

The Public Works Agency estimated the cost of constructing six separate pickleball courts at James Park to be nearly $1 million. The Parks and Recreation Board prefers to instead build four courts at James Park for roughly $600,000 to $650,000, Thompson said.

The city currently operates 32 tennis courts and no dedicated pickleball courts.

On Oct. 11, Evanston resident Helder Dos Santos created an online petition to implement dedicated pickleball courts in Evanston. The petition has garnered over 600 signatures.

“Pickleball is going to be a huge growing sport, but it needs to be accommodated, not only now, but in the future,” said Robert Bush, vice president of the Parks and Recreation Board.

During the meeting, a community member introduced the idea of a possible indoor facility at James Park, which would allow for four seasons of play. The concept, currently in its “early stages,” could eventually include pickleball courts if the city adopts it.

Bush said the board should consult a committee of local pickleball players to design the outdoor facility at James Park. He added that, if the board passes a motion to convert the courts at James Park, the designs could be presented to the board in December.

“I don’t think we have anyone on staff who’s an expert in designing the pickleball (courts),” Bush said. “(The pickleball players) have been extremely generous with their time and knowledge. To not take advantage of that in the design of the facility that’s just been recommended would be foolhardy.”

In community meetings in the past few months, tennis players said that they did not want to play on double striped courts — courts with lines for both pickleball and tennis — because it is harder to make line calls on these courts, Thompson said.

This is why the city hopes to create dedicated pickleball courts separate from existing tennis courts, she added.

“A lot of people said that, if they had to, they could play in the same location, but not on the same court,” Thompson said.

Bush said the city should convert all six tennis courts at James Park into at least 15 dedicated pickleball courts, which would leave the southernmost part of the city with no tennis courts. Board member Mary Rosinski said that the city should maintain at least two double-striped courts to preserve access for tennis players instead.

Based on Evanston’s 2025 Capital Improvement Plan, the proposed $650,000 pickleball improvements are “not prioritized” because the improvements require further discussion, City Engineer Lara Biggs said.

“Not everything on the not prioritized list is unimportant,” Biggs said. “I think there’s every likelihood (pickleball) would be funded.”

The city plans to issue roughly $8.8 million in general obligation bonds to fund park-related projects in 2025, including the $650,000 for the pickleball courts, according to a Public Works Agency presentation.

Bush said in order for Evanston to be the most livable city in the long term, it is important to invest in pickleball in the short term.

“I think I’ll be picking up pickleball,” Board member Kelly Terrell said.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed the idea for an indoor pickleball facility to Board President Ellie Shevick. The Daily regrets this error.

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