Los Banos to open nine new city-owned pickleball courts

Los Banos is about to put its first city-owned pickleball courts into play, and the opening is being set up as more than a ribbon-cutting. The city will welcome residents to the Ag Sports Complex on July 18 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., with bounce houses, a food truck and a chance to learn how to play built into the celebration.

The project delivers nine brand-new courts funded with American Rescue Plan Act money, turning a long-requested amenity into a permanent public facility. For local players, that means a real municipal base for open play and organized matches instead of relying on limited existing space. For the city, it gives Los Banos a visible recreation investment that can support leagues, beginner programming and future events at a site designed for community use.

Pickleball had already been identified as a need during the Park Master Plan process, and city planning documents described it as a highly requested public amenity. In a Feb. 7, 2024 concept presentation, officials placed the courts at the Ag Sports Complex, 700 N. Mercey Springs Rd., and said the build would include fencing, lighting, a connecting sidewalk and supporting amenities. That presentation estimated the project cost at between $1.9 million and $2.4 million and outlined a schedule that called for council approval in February 2024, bid release in June 2024 and construction completion in winter 2024.

The site choice also fit the city’s broader recreation layout. The complex already had a restroom built in 2023 and sits near a softball field, dog park, parking lot, playground and horseshoe pits, making it a natural hub for multi-use activity. City bid documents later showed sealed bids for construction were due Nov. 7, 2024, and a March 10, 2026 update reported that the final concrete slab had been poured, with electrical work and landscaping next.

City recreation officials also spent time on how the courts would be used once they opened. At a May 13, 2025 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, Joe Heim, the Parks and Recreation Department director, presented proposed pickleball play guidelines and reviewed the court construction.

With the first city-owned courts now ready to open, Los Banos is giving its pickleball scene a home-court foundation it did not have before. The July 18 event will be the first public test of that new space, and the city is clearly hoping it becomes a place where casual players, families and visiting paddles all have a reason to stop in.