Avondale unveils plan for new and upgraded parks across city, including Civic Center Park and eight new pickleball courts

City leaders and staff on April 21 outlined a multi-site parks plan that adds new amenities and upgrades existing facilities across Avondale.

The presentation from Corey Loeba, director of Parks, Recreation and Libraries, described six priority projects under design or construction and several other capital improvements planned over the next 18 months. Loeba said Civic Center Park — a 4.9-acre site adjacent to the library — is under construction and will include a shaded playground, picnic ramada, open turf, continuous sidewalks, a reading grove, a food-truck alley for events and space reserved for public art.

The update emphasized user-focused details and constraints. “You will see that area under construction,” Loeba said of Civic Center Park, and noted the project does not include a perimeter fence around the playground in the current design but that one is being considered post-construction. The presentation included renderings showing seat walls meant to resemble book spines as a design nod to the adjacent library.

Why it matters: the projects aim to expand recreation access citywide while reusing underused turf and responding to public demand for courts and inclusive play. Staff said the changes will spread amenities through north and south Avondale, add evening-use lighting and create educational landscape demonstrations.

Key projects and details presented

- Civic Center Park (4.9 acres): shaded playground, picnic ramada, turf, internal and perimeter sidewalks, reading grove, food-truck alley and future public art sites. Staff said much of the underground and sidewalk work is complete and light poles were recently erected.

- Friendship Park upgrades: dog-park renovations (expanded shade canopies, new irrigation separate from sports fields, centralized entry plaza, maintenance access, drinking fountains and lighting) and installation of eight new pickleball courts with LED sports-court lighting and spectator seating. Loeba said the dog park will remain a lit amenity and that the design will keep tall trees and install seat walls beneath them.

- Desi Lorenz Park (near MC 85 between Fourth Street and Central): staff proposed converting passive turf into an outdoor education center and demonstration garden focused on xeriscape and pollinator habitat, adding soft trails, educational signage and public art while preserving the park’s monument sign. Loeba said the park has a smaller parking lot (about 12 spaces) plus multiple pull-ins that could accommodate buses for field trips.

- Western Avenue Plaza (Dysart and Western): conceptual plaza and gateway improvements for Old Town Avondale with walking paths, decorative fencing, lighting, landscaping and a large-scale public-art site intended to tie visually to nearby school district theming; the plan is in early conceptual stages and will include community engagement for artist selection.

- Donatello Neighborhood Park (North Avondale): a roughly 5-acre neighborhood park with a shaded inclusive playground (fenced), restrooms, three picnic ramadas, two open turf areas, quarter-mile loop path, outdoor fitness station, pollinator garden, LED lighting and parking. Loeba said the playground will use about 75% pour-and-play surfacing and be designed as an inclusive demonstration site through a partnership with GameTime Playground Systems.

Other capital items noted: civic center amphitheater shade and lighting, festival fields disc-golf and trailhead, Friendship Park ball-field improvements, an indoor pickleball facility study, continued LED sports-field lighting conversions and a recharge-park design study for land across from Friendship Park.

Design constraints and implementation notes

- Utility easements limit structures and require moving tall features (fencing, lighting) outside easement corridors. Loeba said sports turf can remain under certain easements while taller features will be sited to avoid conflicts.

- Friendship Park’s dog-park irrigation is currently tied to sports-field irrigation; the project will create isolated irrigation so the different turfs can be maintained separately.

- Staff said the Friendship Park pickleball site preserves current youth practice fields and is designed to allow future expansion if demand and funding allow.

Council response and community considerations

Council members asked about mileage markers, dog-park design (large/active vs. small/passive language), noise mitigation for pickleball courts adjacent to homes, local artist involvement for public art and additional amenities such as waste stations and low-cost play markings (hopscotch/4-square). Loeba and staff committed to further study or to incorporate many of those suggestions into design and community engagement phases.

Vice Mayor Curtis Nielsen and several council members suggested interactive or educational features for Western Avenue Plaza and asked to prioritize local artist engagement for public art. Council members also praised staff for coordinating across departments — parks, public works and CIP — to deliver the projects.

Next steps and timeline

Most projects are in design or early construction; staff presented renderings and said some projects will begin construction in the coming months and others will proceed as funding and coordination allow. Specific construction schedules and funding sources were described during the presentation in general terms; council directed staff to continue community engagement and return with further design details where needed.

Ending: Council members broadly supported the project slate and thanked staff; several members noted the improvements should increase use of parks for events such as Winterfest and expand north-Avondale recreational options.