Six new, permanent pickleball courts will be installed at Detroit Lakes' Peoples Park this summer, thanks to a $200,000 fundraising campaign organized by local enthusiasts for the sport.
The Detroit Lakes City Council gave the green light for construction of the new courts at its Tuesday night meeting, after accepting the $200,000 in donations presented by the Pickleball Project Committee.
"We're looking forward to the courts being built," said committee member Mitch Wimmer, thanking the council and city staff for their support of the project.
Construction is projected to be completed by the end of summer. The city will own and maintain the courts. The committee is planning to establish a fund out of dollars raised for the city to resurface and maintain them.
Over the past year, committee members have been working with the City of Detroit Lakes and its long-range park plan to develop two new parks, one north of highway 34 and one south of the lake. In addition to the six pickleball courts in People's Park, plans are for two more at each of the other two parks when they are constructed.
There is currently an outdoor five-court pickleball set-up at the hockey rink at People's Park for summer play; during the winter months, players use the four indoor courts located at the Detroit Lakes Community & Cultural Center (DLCCC).
And speaking of the DLCCC, the community center's Chief Operating Officer, Stu Omberg, also appeared at Tuesday night's council meeting - and like Wimmer, he came bearing gifts.
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"Eight years ago, The Backyard was built," said Omberg, referring to the 8,500 square foot, three-story addition to the DLCCC that houses the second largest indoor playground in Minnesota.
Since then, The Backyard has become an unqualified success, Omberg noted, adding that he was at the meeting to officially hand over ownership of The Backyard to the city - as "a $1.9 million, unencumbered asset," he said.
Council members unanimously passed a motion to formally accept the gift on behalf of the city.
