Owensboro Parks and Recreation is moving forward with a series of upgrades, including new basketball and pickleball courts at Moreland Park and a multipurpose overhaul at Dugan Best Recreation Center.
Parks Director Amanda Rogers said the basketball court at Moreland Park is being relocated across Hickman Avenue to the southwest corner of the park. The move, she said, will ease conflicts between basketball players and youth sports and allow for better lighting and visibility.
“We’ve had conflicts at different times through the years with sometimes the language that can be used on a basketball court as opposed to what we have going on with T-ball or tennis tournaments,” Rogers said. “This is a great opportunity to give each user group that space to be themselves.”
The new court will feature acrylic backboards and breakaway rims, similar to recent upgrades at other parks. The space where the basketball court previously sat will be converted into two pickleball courts — part of the City’s effort to meet growing demand for the sport across Owensboro.
“We’ve heard the necessity for being able to get to pickleball courts without having to drive all the way out to Ben Hawes,” Rogers said. “We’ve looked at how basketball and tennis courts are spread across the city, and we’re trying to do the same with pickleball.”
Two additional courts are being considered for Chautauqua Park.
Construction at Moreland Park is expected to be complete by the end of October, Rogers said, along with ongoing work at Dugan Best Recreation Center.
At Dugan Best, the two underused tennis courts are being transformed following public meetings and input from neighborhood children. One court will become a lighted street soccer court with a half-basketball overlay featuring a 9-foot goal, giving younger players a place to play without competing with older athletes for space.
The second court will be split into two sections: two-thirds will be turfed for an outdoor obstacle course, while the remaining third will feature asphalt play areas, including a gaga ball pit, four square, and hopscotch.
“It was a location that was primarily set up for one use, and now we’ve got it set up where we’ve got five different uses for that space that are going to serve a broader age range,” Rogers said. “We’re really excited about that transition.”
Rogers said all of the projects are using the same contractors for asphalt, surfacing, and equipment installation. Weather permitting, they should be complete by late October.
