MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Madison Heights is celebrating the grand opening of eight new pickleball courts at Rosie's Park, part of a larger investment in recreational spaces throughout the city.
The $351,000 pickleball court project comes alongside the construction of the $7.2 million investment in Red Oaks Park.
"This really fills a void. It's great for people to be able to come close to home and play again on just stunning courts," said Frank Fidel, President of the Southeastern Michigan Pickleball Association.
The new courts address a growing demand for free public pickleball facilities, one of the fastest-growing sports in the United States.
"It is very big. We've got courts going up all over Michigan," Fidel said.
Bob Boguslawski, who lives in Madison Heights, appreciates the addition to the community.
"I think it's great. The only other outdoor courts around are in Royal Oak and there's one in Troy," Boguslawski said.
City officials say the pickleball courts were funded mainly through grants and were developed in response to community requests.
"We really were getting calls to have a multi-generational space for people outdoors, so not just playscapes and baseball fields but really something that could come together and start building community," said Melissa Marsh, City Manager of Madison Heights.
The Red Oaks Garden Project will transform the seven-acre Ambassador Park with open play space, trails, walking paths, seating areas, and a playground. It's funded by the Oakland County Parks Healthy Communities Park and Outdoor Recreation Investment Plan.
Construction is planned for 2025 and 2026. The anticipated investment of $3.75M includes $2.75M from the American Recovery Plan Act and $1M from Oakland County Parks’ capital improvement fund.
Residents expressed enthusiasm about the developments.
"Looks like they're spending some money, and I like it. It's very cool," said long-time resident Kevin Lang.
Marsh says Madison Heights is focusing on quality of life improvements.
"Madison Heights, unlike a lot of communities, are built out so we don't have any room for subdivisions or more housing or more businesses, so we really have doubled down to invest on quality of life programming. We have a lot of parks in Madison Heights and we are coming back to those parks and making sure that they have features that are available to the residents so every park doesn't have to have everything, but everything needs to be located in your city somehow and accessible to the residents," Marsh said.
Marsh says much of the funding is coming from outside sources, keeping costs maintained for taxpayers.
"The majority of money is through grant funding, but we do strategically have a capital improvement plan and we have been investing back in parks, so a lot of it is grant matching money and we have money set aside by that strategically from our city council, so when grant opportunities do come available we can match that. So when we asked Oakland County to help us fund these pickleball courts, we had to show that we were committed and that we had money to match the grant that they were gonna give us," said Marsh.
The Southeast Michigan Pickleball Association awarded a $16,200 grant for a wind screen. They will also host summer programming at the courts.
The city is currently seeking community feedback for future projects in the coming years through their master plan survey.
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