Hockey Rink Conversion for Pickleball Courts

Project Overview

The City of Louisville Parks, Recreation & Open Space department is excited to share that the inline skate rink—located next to the Police Station—is being converted into permanent outdoor pickleball courts! This long-discussed project, approved by City Council and endorsed by the Recreation Advisory Board (RAB), directly responds to evolving recreational needs and strong community demand for dedicated pickleball space. The scope of the project includes repurposing the existing inline rink to feature resurfaced concrete, perimeter fencing, and permanent nets. Playing hours and access details will be determined as we move forward with implementation. Staff is currently evaluating options to relocate a hockey net to support stick and puck practice.

Status & Next Steps

Following additional discussion on conversion of the hockey rink, the pickleball project is moving forward as of the April 15, 2025 City Council meeting.  

A noise study has been completed by a third-party acoustical engineer to analyze potential sound impacts to adjacent neighbors.  The outcome of the study is that noise mitigation barriers are suggested for the court complex’s northern and southern edges. This is in part due to the unique topography for homes to the north that are significantly elevated above the courts. The full report can be viewed in the Supporting Files section below. 

The project is approaching construction with the structural engineer's drawings arriving in mid-September.  Once permitting approvals are obtained, work on the sound mitigation barrier is anticipated to begin. Due to decreasing overnight temperatures, the work will be split into two phases. The phase one goal is to construct the sound barriers and reestablish playable courts prior to 2026 year-end.  Phase two will include colored court surfacing. The surfacing application requires overnight temperatures to remain above 55 degrees and will therefore need be completed as temperatures allow in spring 2027. 

Supporting Files

Visit the Recreation Advisory Board page for past agendas and meeting packets.

Contact

Bryon Weber, Project Manager PROS, bweber@louisvilleco.gov, (303) 335-4736