Greenfield’s Dan Jansen Park Begins New ADA Pickleball Court Build

Greenfield has started work at Dan Jansen Park on a new ADA hardcourt improvement project that goes beyond a simple court add-on. The build includes pickleball courts and a parking lot, a signal that the city is treating this as an access upgrade, not just another striping job on public land.

The courts are planned to open in 2026 at the park’s site at 4820 S 74th Street, where the city has spent decades layering in recreation improvements. Dan Jansen Park was officially dedicated in 1994 in honor of Olympic speedskating gold medalist Dan Jansen, after the property had originally been known as Squire Park in the late 1960s. That 1994 renovation brought in a red, white and blue playground, a little league ballfield, fencing, landscaping and a 50-foot gold flagpole, setting the tone for a park that has repeatedly been upgraded rather than left to age in place.

The accessibility angle matters here. Greenfield added a lighted walkway linkage to South 74th Street in 1999, then updated the playground surface in 2000 with a poured-in-place rubber surface and enhanced play features for greater handicap accessibility. Restrooms and a shelter followed in 2007 and 2008. Put together, the new pickleball project looks less like a standalone amenity and more like the next step in a long-running effort to make the park easier to reach, easier to use and more useful to more people.

That is the practical side of the story for pickleball players. Courts are still the sport’s bottleneck in a lot of suburbs and city parks, and the numbers show why. USA Pickleball’s 2025 annual growth report said Pickleheads added more than 2,300 new locations in 2025, bringing the national total to 18,258 known places to play, with 82,613 known courts in the database. The Sports & Fitness Industry Association said 19.8 million Americans played pickleball in 2024. A public build in Greenfield will not solve demand by itself, but it adds free, local court hours in a sport where access often depends on whether a private club is in reach.

The ADA designation also gives the project a sharper edge. USA Pickleball says adaptive pickleball is growing and supports accessible pickleball programs, which makes this kind of municipal build especially relevant for older adults, players with disabilities and anyone who needs a smoother path from the parking lot to the court. Greenfield’s Parks and Recreation Department says it exists to promote and develop public recreation opportunities and park facilities, and Dan Jansen Park now fits squarely into that mission.