Sooner Park's pickleball complex finally opens to the public

After six years of waiting and planning, the highly anticipated pickleball complex in Sooner Park is open and available to the public.

"It's a long-awaited dream come to reality," Kumar Krishnan, local pickleball ambassador and Bartlesville Pickleball Club president, said. "Now we don't travel to Tulsa or other communities."

Krishnan noted these are the only dedicated courts open to the public in Bartlesville for year-round play.

The six-court complex, which cost approximately $450,000, was funded through the 2020 General Obligation Bond Election, which voters approved. Micah Siemers, director of engineering, noted that spring rains and a delay in delivering the necessary breakers to light the courts caused setbacks for the project.

More: Pickleball blasts to popularity in Bartlesville

"We will need to go back in later and install breakers to light four of the courts," Siemers said. "We initially thought we would wait until all six courts were lighted to open, but we really don't know when the breakers for the remaining four courts will come in. And we know people are ready to get started so we wanted to open as soon as possible."

The courts are located north of the Sooner Park tennis courts and are free and open to the public during park hours, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. They can also be rented, but they are otherwise available on a first-come, first-served basis.

To inquire about court rentals, contact the Community Development Department at mmsandford@cityofbartlesville.org or call 918-338-4238.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Sooner Park's pickleball complex finally opens to the public