Liberty Bell Park Pickleball Courts: The city of Norfolk, Nebraska, now has four new pickleball courts at Liberty Bell Park, thanks to a $300,000 donation from Integrity Marketing Group. The courts, named “Founders Court,” include lighting and fencing and were officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by city leaders and residents.
The project was led by the Norfolk Parks and Recreation Department. Officials say these courts fill a long-standing need in the community. Before this, players used shared tennis courts with painted lines, which didn’t offer the same experience as proper pickleball courts.
A Community Goal Realized
Nathan Powell, director of Norfolk Parks and Recreation, said,
“We didn’t have any designated pickleball courts in our community. We had some painted lines on a tennis court, but that’s just not the same experience.”
He added,
“We’re a small community, but a big, big city feel. When you start adding things like the pickleball courts.”
The new courts were made possible by Integrity Marketing Group and its co-founder Mark Wingate. He said,
“So, we as a company and the Founders of Integrity wanted to give back a little bit, and we wanted to build pickleball courts for the city of Norfolk. And it’s a great sport, and we’re very excited to finally have them completed.”
Residents Welcome the Change
Many local players are excited to have a new place to play. Katie Novotny, a resident of Stanton, Nebraska, shared her thoughts on the new courts.
“We’re extremely excited to have something like this. I think there’s a lot of curiosity, and we have there are some places that are launching it right now.
But I think the bigger thing is, is to have this where even if you’re not an organized team, you can still read the rules online and come out here and give it a whirl.”
The addition of the new courts has brought joy to the local pickleball community, and more people are expected to join in the fun.
Looking Ahead
Nathan Powell hopes the courts will help attract more people to Norfolk.
“We’ve had a lot of improvements going on in our community, and it’s really making it more of a big community feel at home, and maybe it even draws people in,”
. “And that’s what we want to do, is bring people to our community and come and stay here and in rec right here and right here in town.”(Nathan Powell)
He also praised the efforts of the community and their partners.
“This one is a community effort. This is the community coming together with our community without partnerships, without those grants and those donations. These things just don’t happen. And so we’re very excited to have that.”
City leaders are already looking ahead and hope to add more courts in the future as interest in pickleball continues to grow.
News in Brief: Liberty Bell Park Pickleball Courts
Norfolk, Nebraska, has opened four new pickleball courts at Liberty Bell Park with help from a $300,000 donation by Integrity Marketing Group. Named “Founders Court,” the courts include lights and fencing. Local officials and residents say they hope this project draws more people to play and visit the city.
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