City's new pickleball complex officially opens
May 10—WEATHERFORD — By the time the start of Thursday's grand opening ceremony for Weatherford's new pickleball complex began, players had already lined up.
Rows of paddles along fencing marked players' spots in line, as city officials and community members celebrated the first facility of its kind in the area at Love Street Park.
"It's amazing," player Todd Hennington said as he approached the complex with his equipment. "We sometimes play in tournaments at Soldier Spring Park, but I normally play at Lake Worth.
"We live in Willow Park, so going to Fort Worth or coming here is about the same, but I have friends in both places so I like to play everywhere."
The $1.2 million parks project was funded through the Hotel Occupancy Tax, meeting the financial criteria as it is projected to bring "heads to beds" in welcoming players from all over to scheduled tournaments.
Weatherford Parks and Rec Director Jaycob Kirkpatrick said the complex emerged as a priority of the city's Master Parks Plan, in part due to the outpouring of residents who expressed their desire for it.
That much was evident Thursday, with close to 80 people in attendance.
"This took a big team effort, a lot of departments coming together as one," Kirkpatrick said, expressing thanks to city officials for listening and approving the idea. "This shows how well the city works as a team to come together and make something like this happen."
The director also applauded the work of Cortex Construction, Victory Awning and Patcon for court construction, canopies and parking lot work.
Place 3 Councilmember Matt Tizkus thanked Kirkpatrick for his leadership and bringing a facility of that quality to Weatherford.
"I could bore you with the results of economic development ... the return on investment we'll see ... I could talk about the quality of life and enjoyment this brings ... how advocacy matters, especially in local government ..." he said. "But let me tell you why I supported this project and why I believe our city council did as well. It comes down to one phrase: Building a strong community.
"Pickleball is multigenerational, whether you're 8 or 88; it brings people together whether you're Republican or Democrat ... it's going to bring tournaments here and people to our city to spend their money here."
Parker County Pickleball Association members as well as community players took the court following a ribbon cutting, with many of them lending a helping hand for city council members who were new to the courts.
