Danny Key plays pickleball at the Brown County Community YMCA. Key approached the Brown County Parks and Recreation board of directors about the addition of a pickleball court to Deer Run Park, which was approved by the board. The request now heads to Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Submitted photo
Visitors to Deer Run Park may find a new addition to activities offered, after the Brown County Parks and Recreation Board members granted conditional approval for a pickleball court to be built on March 22.
According to local resident Danny Key, president of the Brown County Pickleball Club, approval is still needed from Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to move the project forward, due to portions of the park being in a designated floodway.
Key said after meeting that he does not predict DNR to be against the project, and that the club just wants to be sure they are doing everything correctly prior to construction.
“Once we get approval from DNR, we’re ready to go,” he said on March 23.
“I see Deer Run as the perfect place for it.”
Key said that all the construction work will be done by local companies, and the total cost for the project is currently quoted around $115,000.
Construction of the court will be fully funded by corporate and personal donations, as well as by a grant that Key applied for through the club.
Key also said that the club will cover the cost of any court maintenance or upkeep by hosting tournaments on the court. The club plans to host two tournaments each year.
Pickleball is a low-impact sport that is closely related to tennis. It has been rapidly growing in popularity for the past several years because of its accessibility to all ages and skill levels.
“When I started playing around three years ago, I noticed that all the surrounding communities had pickleball clubs, which equated to more pickleball events and players,” Key told the Democrat.
“And because I was enjoying it and having fun, I thought, ‘Heck, we should be able to do the same thing.’”
The Brown County Pickleball Club was formed, and not long after was granted 501(c)(3) status.
However, the only space members could use for the sport was at the Brown County Community YMCA gym.
Key said the space has worked well for the club and they are thankful to have had it available to them, but most athletes play the sport on outdoor courts.
“It’s actually a different size ball, made from different material, so if you go from indoor to outdoor, everything is different, and it is quite a different game. Some of the more competitive events are outdoors as well,” Key explained.
“And, you know, it would just be outside doing something in good weather.”
Key added that the Brown County Pickleball Club is working on offering official memberships.
“(The club) is all inclusive, and we hope beginners and serious players alike will join,” he said.
Salt Creek Trail addition
An addition of a mural to the Salt Creek Trail was also discussed at the board meeting.
Parks and Rec Director Mark Shields said at the parks and rec meeting last week that an application for a grant has been submitted for the project.
The application is for the Public Art Activation Grant, which is awarded by the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC).
The same grant also funded the two Nashville murals completed last year — on the side of Mulberry Cottage and behind the Brown County Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The grant seeks to create Indiana-specific public artwork throughout the state of Indiana.
Public artwork created in partnership with artists features the new IDDC tourism campaign, “IN Indiana.” It is a non-matching grant of up to $5,000 to fund public art projects. More than $200,000 in grant funding was awarded in May.
So far, more than 40 public arts projects have been completed by local organizations in 33 counties across the state, all funded by the IDDC.
