LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Did you know one of the biggest pickleball complexes in town is coming to the northwest valley?
As your Channel 13 northwest Las Vegas reporter, I've done a lot of stories recently at Bunker Park near Tenaya and Alexander, and I've been wondering what all the construction on the southwest side of the park is all about.
It turns out in January, the City of Las Vegas broke ground on a $12 million, 24 court regional pickleball complex!
WATCH | Work continues on $12 million Bunker Park pickleball complex
Born and raised northwest Las Vegas local Karson Luong lives down the street from Bunker Park, and told me he goes there all the time.
"The track is really nice, there are a lot of people out here running, plus my girlfriend and I take our German Shepherd to the dog park all the time, " Karson said. "The area in general is really nice — it's kept really clean, there's not a lot of things that make you not want to come here."
Karson tells me he thinks this new pickleball complex will be a great addition to the neighborhood.
"I think it's really cool," he said. "I know they have tennis courts here, but a lot of times there are people already over there, so having more courts — because pickleball is up and coming, a lot of people are doing it — I think it's pretty nice, the more courts the better."
Construction crews have already made a ton of progress since the project's groundbreaking in January: the concrete slabs for the courts are poured, the light fixtures are up and the snack shack restroom building is almost done.
I met up with Ward 4 City Councilwoman Frances Allen-Palenske at Bunker Park to get an update on the project's timeline.
"We're looking at a ribbon cutting, hopefully, in January 2027," Allen-Palenske told me. "We're going to be playing pickleball here before you know it!"
On top of bringing more amenities to northwest locals, Councilwoman Allen-Palenske tells me the city also hopes to bring some sports tourism to the facility, too.
"Because pickleball is the single largest growing sport in America," she said. "People want to come to Las Vegas, and they want to come play pickleball."
It's fitting that the fastest growing sport in the country will have a home in one of the fastest growing parts of town.
"I've seen a lot of growth, especially living here in Vegas under 21 years old, there's not much us younger people can do," Karson Luong told me. "The better things, more parks, more malls, it's helped a lot versus driving really far down south — we can have a better park closer to home!"
For more information on the Bunker Park pickleball complex, visit the City of Las Vegas' website by clicking here.
Is there something going on in the northwest Valley that you think I should know about? Send me an email: Guy@KTNV.com.