PETERSBURG, Va. β Legends Park in Petersburg officially reopened Monday following a nearly $700,000 transformation that breathed new life into the park where NBA Hall of Famer Moses Malone and college basketball National Player of the Year Frank Mason once played.
A ribbon cutting ceremony marked the completion of major upgrades that include new basketball courts, tennis and pickleball facilities, and converted soccer fields.
Basketball players will find new asphalt, fresh paint, and brand new rims and backboards. The renovation also created separate spaces for different age groups.
"The top court is going to be for our adults, so we wanted to separate that space, we didn't want our children to be kicked off the courts at any point in time, so they now have their own dedicated space," Marquis Allen, Director of Petersburg Recreation, said.
The park's tennis courts now serve dual purposes.
"We did a conversion, so you have four tennis courts where Petersburg High School will be able to host their matches and then also we have pickleball courts incorporated with it," Allen said. "Brand new courts. Brand new lines. New nets. New poles."
Verdane Ivory, who lives in Prince George County and travels to play pickleball, praised the addition.
"I think this is an excellent start to the pickleball community because it's growing so big, it's very vast. And in this area pickleball is very popular but a lot of us travel like to Chesterfield, Richmond to play but now that Petersburg has there own courts, a lot of players can come out here and play," Ivory said.
The renovation also converted some old baseball fields into soccer fields to accommodate the growing youth soccer program.
"We're in our third year of youth soccer, so this is where out youth practice soccer at and our numbers have increased by 60 percent in the past three years," Allen said.
Two additional projects remain on the wish list for Legends Park. The recreation department is seeking funding to add a splash pad near the soccer field and to replace the playground equipment used by younger visitors.
Legends Park is located at 1614 Defense Road in Petersburg.
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