Lancaster Parks Department to install pickleball courts at Olivedale

LANCASTER − The City of Lancaster will be installing a set of pickleball courts to one of their parks due to an outpouring of community support.

On Monday night, Lancaster City Council voted to pass a resolution authorizing the service-safety director to advertise for bids and enter into a contract for the construction of pickleball courts at Olivedale Park for the Lancaster Parks and Recreation Department.

The contract for pickleball courts at Olivedale will be worth a not-to-exceed price of $300,000. According to Lancaster Parks & Recreation Superintendent Steven Gayfield, that money will come from CARES Act funds.

"It was given to us from the CARES Act money that the city received," said Gayfield.

The community's desire for pickleball courts has been made clear. Gayfield mentioned some of the ways that pickleball groups in the area have found ways to play at other Lancaster parks.

"There's quite a large demand for (pickleball courts)," said Gayfield. "Actually, at the last Park Board meeting we had a group of residents come and talk to us about lining pickleball courts onto the tennis courts over at Rising Park. We already have a group that plays out at Maher Park who had lined the courts themselves, they got permission to do that. There's quite a demand for pickleball in the community and we hear on a pretty regular basis that there's more need."

With a lot of pickleball teams in the area and not enough courts to meet that demand, Gayfield said that there is excitement about the incoming courts at Olivedale Park.

"They're quite excited about the courts," said Gayfield.

Gayfield said that the parks department is currently slated to build eight courts that will be strictly dedicated to pickleball at Olivedale Park. He added that the courts should be done by the end of the year.

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Lancaster Parks Department to install pickleball courts at Olivedale