A half million dollar bid to build eight pickleball courts at Rotary Park, expanding from six and omitting lighting to save costs, heads to the Galesburg City Council for approval on Monday.
The $547,618 project, funded by the Community Improvements and Park and Recreation funds, responds to pickleball’s soaring popularity while attempting to navigate opposition from neighbors over noise and parking. If approved, construction is slated to start later this month and finish by November, weather permitting.
The Rotary Park project at 1625 W. Losey St. will deliver eight traditional reinforced concrete courts, interior and exterior fencing, a bullpen with benches, and landscaping to curb noise. Five bids were received, with Illinois Civil Contractors Inc. of East Peoria offering the lowest at $570,000 for six courts with lighting. City staff added two courts for $96,568.92 and cut lighting to save $118,950, keeping the total at $547,618.92.
Don Miles, Director of Parks and Recreation, told WGIL the lighting omission enabled the extra courts within budget. The move would also address some of the resident objections, maintaining sunrise-to-sunset hours. A sound barrier option was skipped, with landscaping deemed sufficient, though barriers could be added later if needed.
Nearby residents — including on Columbus and Spruce avenues — with a 66-signature petition, oppose the project, citing noise, parking shortages, and potential property value declines. One resident likened pickleball’s sound to “six or seven houses roofing at once,” while another said, “We love the park the way it is.”
Sixth Ward Alderman Greg Saul, while supportive of pickleball, suggests Ice House Park near the Amtrak depot as a non-residential alternative, noting Rotary’s 26 parking spaces may fall short for 24 players. Residents, frustrated by learning of the plan through a WGIL article before April’s council meeting, plan to attend Monday’s session to urge reconsideration.
Several signs in opposition of the project could be seen at Rotary Park early Friday morning, saying “Save Our Green Spaces” and “Stop Pickleball Courts” while encouraging attendance at Monday’s meeting. The Galesburg City Council meets at 6 p.m. Monday at Galesburg City Hall.
Bateman Park’s four courts, converted in 2021, are heavily used but deteriorated, driving the need for new facilities.