Drinking fountains, picnic tables and walkways will also be renovated, Wendy Longpre, assistant director of the East Lansing Parks and Recreation department, said.

Patriarche Park’s convenient location makes it one of the most widely used parks in the East Lansing area with an estimated 32,000 people visiting the park annually, Longpre said. 

The project, labeled the “Sport Court Renovation Project at Patriarche Park,” is being funded through a combination of sources including a grant from the Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund, funds from the Parks and Recreation portion of the East Lansing Income Tax Fund and through a fundraising campaign led by the Patriarche Park Pickleball Association, Longpre said.

For members of the Pickleball Association, these renovations provide an exciting opportunity to develop the sport they love. 

Sue Mills, fundraising chair for the project, said she hopes the project will help grow the sport in the community. Mills, 81, began playing pickleball after having played tennis since she was 14.

“We see more young people starting to play,” Mills said. “We hope now with these additional courts … that we’ll be able to offer lessons to kids and others to get more and more people involved in the sport.”

For Mills, pickleball has taken on new significance since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Particularly during these days of COVID when you want to be outside, you want to be physically active,” she said. “It’s a great way to meet people and it’s a lot of fun and it’s good exercise.”

In their current state, the pickleball courts can’t meet the needs of the community. During open play, there aren’t enough courts to satisfy the number of people who want to play, Mills said. The courts, which are over 50 years old, also pose a safety concern for some visitors.

“They aren’t safe with the cracks,” Mills said.

Additional fundraising efforts by the Patriarche Park Pickleball Association will supplement the Sport Court Renovation Project with additional features such as fencing around individual courts, upgraded court surfaces and a storage shed equipped with an automated external defibrillator and other medical supplies.

If the Pickleball Association’s fundraising goal of $50,000 is met by Feb. 28, a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Foundation will match the funds to provide a total of $100,000 of funding for the project.

Mills hopes the renovations to Patriarche Park will ultimately “provide something that is a safe place for people to be outside and be active.”

This story appeared in our Jan. 25 print edition. Read the full issue here.