Sioux Center’s Pickleball Expansion: The Sioux Center Parks Department is finalizing plans to build new pickleball and tennis courts at the former Sioux County Youth Fairgrounds near the American State Bank Sports Complex. Construction could start after July 1, 2025, and the courts are expected to be ready by the end of the year.
Plans Moving Forward
Pickleball is growing fast, and Sioux Center wants to keep up. In December, Sioux Center High School students presented research on adding courts as part of a project with Parks Director Lee Van Meeteren. At first, the courts were planned near the soccer fields at Open Space Park. Now, the new location at the former fairgrounds is preferred. Tennis courts will also be included.
Next Steps and Construction Timeline
An upcoming master planning session will finalize court numbers and details. The number of courts will depend on funding.
“My plan is to try to have the work on pickleball started sometime after July 1 so we have something in place by the end of the year. It doesn’t take long to build them, which is good. We might be able to finish the year off strong with pickleball.” – (Meeteren)
The city is also working on grants to build even more courts. New features like lighting, sidewalks, drinking fountains, bathrooms, seating, and shade are planned.
“We are still going after some potential grant dollars, and that would allow us to build more courts.” – (Meeteren)
Advantages of the New Location
Van Meeteren said moving the project to the fairgrounds has many benefits. It will be closer to Dordt University and the high school.
“Our tennis courts right now are in pretty rough shape. We don’t want to forget about that. Tennis and pickleball kind of go hand-in-hand. Building a facility where those two sports complement each other and I think there’s some future there with Dordt. We need more courts and newer courts for them to have that.” – (Meeteren)
The new site has room for other activities too.
“We’ve got pickleball and tennis, but then we’re thinking about soccer pitch, which is like a really small soccer field but it’s on concrete. We’re talking about moving sand volleyball there. So, all those activity sports would all be in one location then.” – (Meeteren)
Better Visibility for Visitors
Another advantage is that the courts will be visible from busy Seventh Street Northeast.
“I want those activities to be so that any visitor who comes down to go to Dordt, go to the high school they can see it and go, ‘Wow, they’ve got that, we’ve got to come back to Sioux Center.’” – (Meeteren)
The earlier proposed location near the soccer fields was hidden by trees and a preschool building, making the fairgrounds a better choice. The new courts will give Sioux Center residents and visitors more sports options. If grants come through, even more courts and features could be added in the future. The project aims to boost community pride and attract new visitors to Sioux Center.
News in Brief: Sioux Center’s Pickleball Expansion
Sioux Center is planning new pickleball and tennis courts at the former Sioux County Youth Fairgrounds. Construction could start after July 1, with completion by year’s end. The project will include extra features like lighting and seating. Officials hope the new location will boost sports and attract visitors to the area.
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