A new 30,000 square foot outdoor recreational park is coming to the IU Bloomington campus, featuring dedicated turf for soccer and futsal, six pickleball courts, one full-sized basketball court, an outdoor fitness court and a general social space.
The park will be at the corner of Fee Lane and 17th Street and could be completed in late November, Chris Arvin, project director and executive director of IU recreational sports, said.
Proposed in 2023, IU Recreational Sports set out to “add life” to the Northwest neighborhood of the IU Bloomington campus, Arvin said.
“Recreational Sports is grateful for the opportunity to expand our partnership with Campus Auxiliaries to make recreation options more accessible to students where they live and where they spend time on campus,” Arvin said.
The park is being built by the Briscoe, Foster and McNutt dormitories in the Northwest neighborhood.
The park has an estimated $1.8 million budget, Arvin said, which was funded by Recreational Sports and Campus Auxiliaries. They also partnered with the National Fitness Campaign, which provided grant funding for the construction of the outdoor fitness gym.
“Personally, I am excited about having our first regulation pickleball courts on campus,” Arvin said. “I’m also looking forward to unveiling the basketball court that will resemble the design of the floor in Assembly Hall.”
The park will provide free, open access to all community members.
