"Our current courts are in poor condition and unrepairable at this point," Broadview Heights Parks and Recreation Director Amanda Hutcheson told cleveland.com in November 2024. "We have (re)surfaced them in the past, but the amount of cracks, and how large and deep they are getting, is beyond repair."
She was describing the tennis and basketball courts at The Fields, the city's sports complex at 8938 Broadview Road, just north of Ohio 82. The city didn't resurface them again. It built two tennis courts, six pickleball courts and one basketball court on what used to be green space between the Leo H. Bender Community Center and the police station on the City Hall campus.
Moving the courts did more than replace worn asphalt. The city's outdoor courts now sit a short walk from the gym that was already lined for pickleball. That puts the outdoor season, the indoor season and the handoff between them at one address, and this October is the first time residents get to see the whole cycle play out there.
What the move away from The Fields fixed
The cracks were only one of the problems at The Fields. Hutcheson said the old basketball court sat too close to an area where families with young children gather. It also sat next to a baseball field, so fly balls often sailed over the court.
Pickleball players had a different complaint. They didn't have courts of their own. Before the new complex, the city's tennis courts doubled as pickleball courts. Hutcheson said the six dedicated courts were a response to growing interest in the sport and a way to give those players a space of their own. She also described the goal of pulling all the courts "together into a complex and outdoor sports destination."
The location makes that goal easy to see. The community center next door already had three indoor basketball courts, and its gym floors were already lined for pickleball. So the new outdoor courts filled in the half of the campus that was missing.
A timeline that ran long, then opened without a ceremony
The building took longer than planned, and the courts opened well before anyone held a public event for them.
- November 2024. The city hired Hejduk-Cox & Associates, a Solon engineering firm, to design the courts: $16,989 for the tennis courts and $33,982 for the basketball and pickleball courts. The plan was to take bids in spring 2025 and finish by fall 2025.
- June 2025. Ronyak Paving of Burton won the contract with a bid of $978,583. The other bidders were Industrial Surface Sealer at $1 million, Geauga Highway at $1.1 million and The Vasco Group at $1.3 million. Council President Robert Boldt called the winning number "pretty pricey."
- November 18, 2025. A change order moved a small group of contract items to a June 1, 2026 deadline. Everything else stayed due December 5, 2025. The change order added no cost and doesn't say why the extension was needed.
- June 9, 2026. At the June 8 council meeting, Hutcheson announced that the new pickleball and tennis courts would "officially open" at 10 a.m. the next morning. She thanked City Engineer Ethan Neff for overseeing the project and said "many of the community members really wanted this done."
- September 28, 2026. The mayor's message dated September 25 announced a ribbon-cutting for 6:30 p.m. that Monday, with treats, drinks and a drawing for pickleball paddles.
The courts opened about nine months after the original fall 2025 target. By the time the ribbon was scheduled, players had already had a full summer on them. That summer was the campus's first real outdoor season, and the next few weeks will be its first trip back inside.
One weekend in October shows the handoff
The busiest weekend on the campus calendar this fall packs both seasons into about 24 hours.
On Saturday, October 10, the city is hosting a recreational pickleball tournament for Beginner-Novice players rated up to 3.0. Teams of two play Men's, Women's or Mixed Doubles. Entry was $80 per team, the field was capped at 16 teams, and final registration closed September 28, the same day as the ribbon-cutting. The city's WebTrac registration portal lists it as an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. event and says players who aren't present five minutes before their next match forfeit.
The sources disagree on where the matches will be played. The mayor's message places the tournament at the "brand-new, 6-court facility." The WebTrac listing names Gymnasium A at the Broadview Heights Community & Recreation Center, 9543 Broadview Road. On a campus where the indoor and outdoor courts share an address, either listing could be correct. Spectators coming to watch should call the center at 440-838-4522 that morning before deciding which door to use.
The next morning, Sunday, October 11, Adult Pickleball Lessons 101 starts in the community center gymnasium. It runs three Sundays through October 25, 8:30 to 10 a.m., with paddles available to borrow. The fee is $55 for members and $70 for nonmembers. So a tournament wraps up Saturday and a beginner class begins inside Sunday, at the same address, and nobody has to change parking lots.
When the outdoor season ends
What the city has not clearly published, at least in any form that came through in our research, is the operating detail for the outdoor courts. The official page for the outdoor pickleball, tennis and basketball courts is the place to check hours, lighting, fees, whether play is first-come or reserved, and when the courts close for the season. If the page doesn't answer your question, the recreation center's number above is the quickest way to get one. We couldn't find a published winter closing date, so plan on confirming before you show up with a bag in late fall.
Once play moves inside, residents have three distinct options, and each one works differently.
| Option | Where | Access | Posted cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community center gymnasium | 9543 Broadview Road, Broadview Heights | City programs such as lessons; gym floors lined for pickleball | Lessons 101: $55 members, $70 nonmembers |
| YMCA Pickleball Center at North Royalton | 13700 York Road, North Royalton | YMCA members and their guests | $40 a month individual or $70 a month family membership; open play $5 or $6 per player per two-hour block |
| The Pickle Club | Broadview Heights | Private, members-only | Pricing available on request |
The city gym is the closest continuation of the outdoor season. We found the lesson schedule but no recurring public open-play schedule for the gym, so ask about open play when you call.
The YMCA Pickleball Center at North Royalton has four climate-controlled courts. Its facility page doesn't list open-play blocks. It points players to Playbypoint and TeamReach for current reservations and schedules. The rates on that page aren't dated, so check them before you join.
The Pickle Club describes itself as a 4,500-square-foot members-only venue in Broadview Heights with indoor and outdoor courts, a lounge and changing rooms. Membership includes priority court time, subject to availability, and the club asks interested players to contact it for current packages. The club also books private events, which can be a good fit for a team outing or a milestone party in the cold months.
The campus is still being connected
The courts may not be the last change on the City Hall campus. On July 7, council approved a contract of about $375,000 with Verdantas to design improvements to Broadview Road between Ohio 82 and Akins Road. The plan includes center turn lanes and multipurpose sidewalks that would connect with trails on Valley Parkway in the Cleveland Metroparks and on the City Hall campus near Oakes Road.
That project is still in design. Verdantas project manager Justin Haselton estimated the work would take about eight months, and Neff said the study will support applications for regional, state and federal grants to help pay for construction. If the path is built, players could reach the courts on foot or by bike from the Valley Parkway trails. For now, the court complex has finished its first summer and is headed into its first winter, with Gymnasium A as the nearest indoor option.
If you're weighing a home where the City Hall campus, the courts and the community center are part of everyday life, the team at The Real Estate Legacy Group knows this stretch of Broadview Road well. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll walk you through what being close to the campus means for the homes nearby.
