Lucas parks board directs staff to study pickleball feasibility at Kenneth R. Lewis Park

The Lucas Parks and Open Space Board asked staff on Nov. 19 to further study the feasibility of installing public pickleball courts, with multiple members identifying Kenneth R. Lewis Park as the most viable City site to examine.

A staff member presented scaled layouts for several parks and described cost comparables from other Texas projects, noting conversions in Colleyville and a four-court project in Bullard. The staff presentation included a conservative city planning estimate: "I'd estimated somewhere between 75 and $100,000 to really put any kind of court that somebody's gonna wanna use," the staff member said, adding that costs can be higher when lights, fencing and parking are required.

Board members discussed access and parking limits at neighborhood parks, and whether lighted courts would be acceptable near residences. One member noted that Forest Creek Park has only a few parking spaces and serves mostly local walkers; another warned that placing courts at a trailhead could conflict with horse trailers and equestrian users.

Board members and staff also debated how to pilot the amenity with low-cost options such as restriping a multiuse basketball slab or allowing portable nets. The chair emphasized that any construction would be a capital request for a future budget cycle and said the board needed a home site before committing funds. The board agreed to have staff conduct a site visit and develop a structured cost estimate and pay items for potential placement at Kenneth R. Lewis Park.

The board did not commit funds at the meeting; members described the action as a direction to staff rather than a budgetary authorization. The chair said a formal budget request would be for the following fiscal year.