PITTSFIELD, Mass. - In an effort to meet a recreational demand from residents, the City of Pittsfield is working to open public pickleball courts sometime this year.

The parks commission approved the plan to build a six-court facility at Springside Park earlier this week. Park and Open Space Program Manager Jim McGrath says the initial proposal was for an eight-court design, but needed to be trimmed for cost. $500,000 in ARPA funds will pay for the project.

The courts will be next to the water tower off Benedict Road. McGrath said pickleball players of all ages have been asking for a dedicated facility in Pittsfield for a number of years.

“Pickleball is just a growing sport and we're finding that a lot of folks are playing pickleball across the city, and they're going to Lenox to play pickleball or they're playing in other towns, and we really thought we needed one here in the city,” McGrath said. “We are a park system that caters to very diverse populations and ages and so this really is just one more amenity in our recreation system that will hopefully keep folks in Pittsfield recreating here.”

The city will be putting out construction bids in the coming weeks. The goal is to have the project completed by the fall.