Hecksher Park Pickleball Court Project: Outdoor pickleball courts are finally coming to Hecksher Park in downtown Venice, Florida. After eight years of requests from local players, construction is now underway. According to the City of Venice’s August newsletter, three new pickleball courts will be ready by mid-August 2025. These new courts are being built just west of the existing shuffleboard area.
With the opening of these dedicated courts, basketball courts that had shared space with pickleball lines will go back to basketball-only use. This change has been long awaited by the pickleball community, which first asked the City Council for outdoor space back in 2017.
Years of Planning and Changes
In 2017, the City Council asked the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board to explore options for adding pickleball courts to a city park. At that time, the city had some pickleball access—two shared-use courts at Hecksher Park, two at Pinebrook Park (also shared with tennis), and four at the Venice Community Center.
City officials looked at three possible locations in Hecksher Park: an eastern playground with one piece of equipment, the eight shuffleboard courts, and a small basketball court near the main one. The advisory board chose the shuffleboard area, believing it was the least-used spot and would cause the fewest disruptions.
However, some City Council members were unhappy. They said the board didn’t follow instructions and worried about removing courts used for one sport to make room for another. Shuffleboard players also pushed back on the idea of losing their space.
Because of these concerns and other park projects, the city did not move forward at that time.
Budget Delays and Final Approval
The project returned in the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Capital Improvement Program. The city set aside $200,000—half of the recommended $400,000—for building three pickleball courts in the sand playground area at Hecksher Park. The money came from park impact fees, which are funds collected to improve public parks.
Still, the plan wasn’t guaranteed. It ranked seventh out of ten “Functional Open Space” projects. The city hoped the funds would cover court installation and a few extras, like a shade structure, a windsock, benches, a water fountain, and noise-reducing fencing.
At a 2022 workshop, some players asked to remove a practice wall to create more court space. But the city engineer said there wasn’t enough money to do that. Also, some tennis and pickleball players liked using the wall to warm up.
After about a year, the Planning Commission approved a development plan, despite some neighbors objecting due to noise concerns. This approval seemed like the final step, but when bids came in for construction, the lowest offer was $480,000—much higher than expected.
Assistant City Engineer Jon Kramer said, “The low bid was $480,000.”
At first, the County Commission denied the city’s request for more funds. Like earlier concerns, they did not want one sport to replace another. However, they later approved additional park impact fees. With the full funding in place, construction finally began earlier this year.
News in Brief: Hecksher Park Pickleball Court Project
After years of planning and delays, three new outdoor pickleball courts are now being built in Hecksher Park, Venice, Florida. The project will restore dedicated space for basketball and serve local players who’ve waited since 2017. Completion is expected by mid-August 2025.
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