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Mar. 26—MITCHELL — Pickleball players got a glimpse of the future on Wednesday morning.
With Schoenfelder Construction starting to dig into the ground, Mitchell Pickleball Association members gathered to commemorate the groundbreaking of six new pickleball courts at Hitchcock Park.
Mitchell Pickleball Association board president Kevin Doorn said pickleball has grown quickly over the last few years and having specifically built courts is the next step for the sport in the community.
"This is a really good deal for our group and for the whole community. There's a lot of people that came before me and have been playing for a while and it means a lot for them to see this come to fruition," Doorn said.
The courts will be built on the southern edge of Hitchcock Park near an already existing picnic shelter. The courts will have side fencing between every two courts to keep balls from running away too far and will have lights to be able to play at night.
The total project cost is estimated to cost about $540,000. The Mitchell City Council approved funding for the project in the 2024 budget.
Since the project came into the picture in 2022, the Mitchell Pickleball Association raised more than $100,000 for the pickleball court complex. A $195,000 state grant awarded to the Mitchell Parks and Recreation Department for the project provided a big funding boost. Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson was on hand for the informal event on Wednesday and greeted the pickleball players, adding he's excited to see the courts be built.
Pickleball is played with paddles and a perforated ball, which reduces the speed of the game compared to other racquet sports like tennis. The sport has exploded in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic as an easy sport to pick up.
"You come out here on an evening and you'll see high school kids playing," Doorn said. "That's probably the biggest thing is people of all ages and all skill levels can play with anybody. That makes it welcoming."
Until now, outdoor play has occurred on the existing tennis courts, which aren't sized for pickleball and use different-sized netting.
"Tennis has been generous enough to let us use those courts, but they aren't the correct size," said Nancy Kogel, who plays pickleball locally. "I think it's just a plus for Mitchell. People that move here, people that have been here for a long time, you have an activity that brings people together. It's really fun."
Loren Wegehaupt, who is on the pickleball association board as its secretary, said he's been playing pickleball for a few years. He said he previously played tennis but as a retired farmer, he said there's not a lot of seniors still playing tennis. He said pickleball's social aspect is its main appeal to him.
"I moved into Mitchell from the farm," Wegehaupt said. "I've lived in this area all my life, but I've probably met 100-plus people and many that I'm pretty good friends with in just a couple of years."
Currently, the group plays on weekday mornings from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and on Wednesday nights from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m, with other times organized through the organization's social media pages. Those hours are almost sure to expand with dedicated courts for pickleball.
Doorn said the current timeline calls for the courts to be finished by the end of August. He said the nice weather hasn't hurt that, considering construction crews have been able to get started. He said dirt work will take a few weeks, followed by setting the base and getting the ground set and then concrete will be poured later this spring.
The City Council has approved installing the courts with conventional concrete, rather than the more expensive post-tension method. The issue got more discussion recently but Public Works Director Joe Schroeder confirmed with the Mitchell Republic on Wednesday that the city is maintaining the initial plan.
Continue reading...
With Schoenfelder Construction starting to dig into the ground, Mitchell Pickleball Association members gathered to commemorate the groundbreaking of six new pickleball courts at Hitchcock Park.
Mitchell Pickleball Association board president Kevin Doorn said pickleball has grown quickly over the last few years and having specifically built courts is the next step for the sport in the community.
"This is a really good deal for our group and for the whole community. There's a lot of people that came before me and have been playing for a while and it means a lot for them to see this come to fruition," Doorn said.
The courts will be built on the southern edge of Hitchcock Park near an already existing picnic shelter. The courts will have side fencing between every two courts to keep balls from running away too far and will have lights to be able to play at night.
The total project cost is estimated to cost about $540,000. The Mitchell City Council approved funding for the project in the 2024 budget.
Since the project came into the picture in 2022, the Mitchell Pickleball Association raised more than $100,000 for the pickleball court complex. A $195,000 state grant awarded to the Mitchell Parks and Recreation Department for the project provided a big funding boost. Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson was on hand for the informal event on Wednesday and greeted the pickleball players, adding he's excited to see the courts be built.
Pickleball is played with paddles and a perforated ball, which reduces the speed of the game compared to other racquet sports like tennis. The sport has exploded in popularity since the COVID-19 pandemic as an easy sport to pick up.
"You come out here on an evening and you'll see high school kids playing," Doorn said. "That's probably the biggest thing is people of all ages and all skill levels can play with anybody. That makes it welcoming."
Until now, outdoor play has occurred on the existing tennis courts, which aren't sized for pickleball and use different-sized netting.
"Tennis has been generous enough to let us use those courts, but they aren't the correct size," said Nancy Kogel, who plays pickleball locally. "I think it's just a plus for Mitchell. People that move here, people that have been here for a long time, you have an activity that brings people together. It's really fun."
Loren Wegehaupt, who is on the pickleball association board as its secretary, said he's been playing pickleball for a few years. He said he previously played tennis but as a retired farmer, he said there's not a lot of seniors still playing tennis. He said pickleball's social aspect is its main appeal to him.
"I moved into Mitchell from the farm," Wegehaupt said. "I've lived in this area all my life, but I've probably met 100-plus people and many that I'm pretty good friends with in just a couple of years."
Currently, the group plays on weekday mornings from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., and on Wednesday nights from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m, with other times organized through the organization's social media pages. Those hours are almost sure to expand with dedicated courts for pickleball.
Doorn said the current timeline calls for the courts to be finished by the end of August. He said the nice weather hasn't hurt that, considering construction crews have been able to get started. He said dirt work will take a few weeks, followed by setting the base and getting the ground set and then concrete will be poured later this spring.
The City Council has approved installing the courts with conventional concrete, rather than the more expensive post-tension method. The issue got more discussion recently but Public Works Director Joe Schroeder confirmed with the Mitchell Republic on Wednesday that the city is maintaining the initial plan.
Continue reading...
