Bartholomew County officials are welcoming you to come and play pickleball at the new county courts.

According to the Bartholomew County Commissioners, the project is finally finished to bring pickleball to Dunn Stadium, beside the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds off of County Road 200S. The county built the 12-court tournament-quality pickleball complex. The county agreed to build the courts just over a year ago, approving bids of $573,000 in early July of 2024 with Case Construction of Edinburgh.

Originally expected to open last fall, the project was delayed while the city and county worked out agreements on drainage at the site, including input from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

That added about $23,000 to the contract cost.

The pickleball courts are free and open with no pre-scheduling required.

The county approved the plans with an eye to filling a need for public courts on the west side of Columbus and Bartholomew County for the fast-growing pickleball player community. County Commissioners have said that they are open to considering specialized facilities for other sports, and have space available in the county park system.

Photo courtesy of Bartholomew County Parks Department.