Wynne moves closer to downtown pickleball courts, seeks project bids

Wynne took another step toward a downtown pickleball footprint on April 16, when the City Council agreed to seek bids for four courts next to First Financial Bank. The project would turn a deeded downtown parcel, once home to Maxine White’s Maxi-Mart, into one of the city’s most visible recreation assets.

Mayor Jennifer Hobbs said the bids will come back to the full council before any final vote, with that decision now expected in the May or June council meeting. That move matters because the project has shifted out of the concept stage and into procurement, the point where many public builds either gain momentum or stall.

The downtown location is the real draw. Instead of tucking the courts at the edge of town, Wynne is looking at a spot that can put players, pedestrians and cars in the same line of sight. For a community trying to rebuild activity in its core, four pickleball courts beside a bank can do more than serve rec players. They can add foot traffic, keep people downtown longer and give nearby businesses a steadier stream of visitors.

The city has spent the past two years working through the project’s cost and grant picture. In June 2024, Wynne Parks & Recreation Director Zach Morris said the city had applied for a $150,000 Lowe’s Hometowns grant and was initially looking at three courts, shade structures and food-truck hook-ups. At that point, city leaders were already linking the courts to downtown cohesiveness and business recovery after the March 31, 2023 EF-3 tornado.

By June 2025, the numbers had changed sharply. Hobbs said the original $150,000 concept had grown to about $481,000 because the site has multiple layers of concrete and is sinking in the middle. An alternate site at the Wynne Sports Complex was estimated at $300,000 to $350,000. The city also discussed an Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism outdoor recreation grant with a 50/50 match and a maximum award of $200,000, along with $50,000 in city money. A survey launched in May 2025 and a June 16 public-interest meeting were both part of the grant process.

That makes the April 16 bid vote more than a routine council action. First Financial Bank deeded the property to the city, but Wynne was given a two-year window to complete the project before the land would have to be returned. If grant funding holds and a contractor is approved this spring, downtown Wynne could soon trade a vacant commercial footprint for a high-visibility pickleball destination in the middle of town.