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Memorial Park pickleball courts to be completely rebuilt; Abner Longley park to receive trail and court upgrades
Summary
Lebanon City will remove and replace existing pickleball courts at Memorial Park, follow with a full redo at Abner Longley Park, and add trail connectivity; funding will use park impact fees for land or new amenities but not maintenance.
Lebanon City plans a full reconstruction of the pickleball courts at Memorial Park this spring and a separate, larger renovation of Abner Longley Park that will include new courts, lighting and expanded trail connections.
"They're being dismantled, taken down, and improved," said John Messenger, parks director, describing demolition now under way at Memorial Park. Messenger said contractors will tear out the old court surfaces and lay new asphalt; lighting at Memorial Park will be retained to reduce costs.
Messenger said the department expects Memorial Park work to be finished in June or July, and staff are aiming to host a tournament or grand reopening around the July 4 holiday, weather permitting. He said Abner Longley will follow: "That's a total redo, rip out, tear out, new courts, new lighting, and that'll be 4 pickleball courts and 1 to, full, tennis court." Messenger also said the contractor will build a walkway system to encircle Abner Longley, a roughly 75‑acre park with an approximately 3.5‑acre pond, improving pedestrian connectivity to the Big 4 Trail.
On funding, Messenger said the city holds park impact fees that can be used to buy property or add new park amenities but not for routine maintenance. He cited a recent property purchase at 313 Beck Street intended to improve an Abner Longley entrance and related connectivity work.
Allison Morton, programs director, said leagues and tournaments will resume after courts are completed; the spring league will not run this year because of the reconstruction, and staff plan to resume fall programming.
Officials said Memorial Park will not have its lights replaced during this project because those fixtures are still serviceable, a decision meant to reduce project cost. Timeline and final scope remain subject to weather and contractor scheduling.
