Scranton’s Nay Aug Park nears completion of new pickleball courts near pool
Nay Aug Park was nearing a new pickleball hub with eight courts by the pool, part of a $1.2 million build that could spread out play across Scranton.
Scranton’s biggest park was close to becoming a much busier place to pick up a game. At Nay Aug Park, eight pickleball courts and two basketball courts were nearing completion beside the pool complex, turning the area near Ambrose Court into a larger, all-day recreation zone for swimmers, families and players.
The court build was planned in a tight, practical footprint: between the former slide pool and the existing sand volleyball court, next to the concession stand and community building. Scranton had estimated the multipurpose project at $1.2 million, with $500,000 from the state Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program and $700,000 in city matching funds. The site also included stormwater infrastructure for both the courts and the future pool complex, a sign that the city was treating the whole corner of the park as one connected project rather than a stand-alone pickleball add-on.
That approach started taking shape well before the courts neared the finish line. On June 5, 2024, city officials unveiled design concepts for the Nay Aug pool complex, backed by $3 million in ARPA money and a $1 million Local Share Account grant. The pool project was planned in phases, with phase one described as a handicap-accessible youth pool with shaded areas and a waterslide, and phase two as a deeper lap pool and splash pad. In August 2024, Scranton sought proposals for the eight-court pickleball and two-court basketball setup that would complement the pool and the ADA-accessible Butterfly Playground.
That broader park buildout was already changing how Nay Aug functions. The Butterfly Playground opened on June 9, 2025, after an estimated $373,000 project funded by a $200,000 Local Share Account grant plus SMRA and community donations. Then, on Oct. 22, 2025, city officials winterized the new pool for the first time and said phase one had cost $4,567,741. At that point, Scranton said Nay Aug’s water complex would eventually make the park one of six pool facilities in the city.
For local players, the key change is simple: eight more pickleball courts means more places to get on court without waiting around as long at other Scranton-area spots. For the city, it is another visible piece of a parks push that has topped more than $26 million during Mayor Paige G. Cognetti’s administration, and another step in making Nay Aug a destination where pickleball is part of the daily rhythm, not just a seasonal novelty.
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