TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - Nearly 11 months after announcing the project, Tuscaloosa’s largest pickleball facility is open for business.
After the city replaced outdoor tennis courts at Bowers Park with more than a dozen pickleball courts, city leaders hosted a ribbon cutting for the Tuscaloosa’s newest attraction.
Mayor Walt Maddox expects many residents will come to play, with some pickleball fans hitting the courts following the ribbon cutting.
The city spent more than $3.7 million to build 19 pickleball courts that include three covered courts.
Maddox calls it, not just a sports venue for locals, but eventually a magnet for tourists, too. Visit Tuscaloosa will host pickleball tournaments at the new facility in hopes of boosting tourism in the city.
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“We not only did this for our constituents. We also did this for tourism,” Maddox said. “Because we believe that Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports will be able to leverage this in getting people to come to Tuscaloosa, get hotel rooms and be able to compete and spend money in Tuscaloosa.”
The Tuscaloosa County Parks and Recreation Authority (PARA) will manage the new venue as they already operate pickleball courts at several activity centers in Tuscaloosa County.
The new courts at Bowers Park now bring the number of pickleball courts in Tuscaloosa to around 26 courts spread around the city.
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