New Windmill Park pickleball court a testament to power of community input

Yahoo

07-06-2025

FAIRMONT — When the new pickleball court opened at Windmill Park, the last thing anyone suspected was Fairmont Mayor Anne Bolyard slicing a mean serve while wearing high heels.
As it turned out, it was even a surprise to Bolyard, who hasn't played in 25 years. But the skills only lay dormant, waiting for a chance to reveal themselves on her hapless opponents.
'This was my first attempt at pickleball, trying something new for me,' Bolyard said. 'Wearing heels made my first time playing pickleball even more memorable. I am excited to start learning more about the sport and playing at Windmill Park.'
The City of Fairmont cut the ribbon on a new pickleball court in a ceremony at Windmill Park Friday at noon. After the dedication, City Manager Travis Blosser and Bolyard played a few doubles rounds against a few city employees. The court is a repurposed basketball court that had fallen into disrepair.
'Pickleball, it's a craze right now,' Blosser said. 'Everybody is into it, it's like tennis. My understanding is it's like tennis but a little smaller, not as intensive.'
Blosser said the city ripped out the old basketball courts which were not being utilized to build the court. They left some space around it for amenities to be added later, he said. In total, the city has spent $3 million worth of upgrades to city parks in fiscal year 2024-25, and Blosser said next fiscal year the city plans on doubling that investment. And so far, the city is excited to show off the work it has put into the parks to its residents.
Blosser said it was important for residents to have access to these amenities.
'West Virginians, sometimes we're not the healthiest,' he said. 'So having these opportunities to get outside to enjoy some physical activity is beneficial from a health standpoint.'
Windmill Park, in particular, has been the focus of a lot of improvements this year.
The park was a sore spot between residents of the Belleview neighborhood and the city. As a neighborhood that was historically where many Black families lived, residents charged the park's neglect was racial in nature. The neglect persisted through sheer inertia, maintaining itself through previous iterations of otherwise well meaning municipal governments.
In 2024, Blosser's administration declared they would face the disinvestment head on and finally give the park the care its residents demanded. The city stayed true to its word, and held community input sessions where one of the requests was to build a pickleball court. Blosser updated city council with regular status reports on the progress at Windmill Park.
'Opportunities for physical activity and trying something new are important aspects to community life,' Bolyard said. 'These types of opportunities need to be available to all and that is reflected in the city's work in our parks over the last year. The continued investment in our parks is one of many ways we are committed to expanding opportunities for all.'
District Four Councilmember Anthony Horton said the change has been noticed. He's lived in the area for 50 years.
'Our community is actually using this thing everyday,' Horton said. 'Children from the neighborhood use it everyday. The city is really playing its part.'