The first game on the new courts behind Burnside City Hall was a doubles match. Steve Merrick of Merrick Hardwoods and his wife, Kim, played against Mayor Robert Lawson and Pulaski County Judge-Executive Marshall Todd. A ribbon cutting came first, and then, as the Commonwealth Journal described it, "a bushel of pickleball enthusiasts" moved onto the blue-and-gray surface.
Those courts started out as playground money. The playground the city couldn't afford came anyway a few weeks later, from a building most of us drive past on Lakeshore Drive. Burnside spent all of this year's Cole Park money on things it already had. A donation went to a different project, the old tennis-court hill got resurfaced, and the school district handed over playground equipment it no longer needed. Add up what that cost, and the park got two amenities for less than a quarter of what a new playground alone would have run.
The playground plan that priced itself out
The original plan was simple. Lawson had talked with Merrick about a donation for new playground equipment at Cole Community Park, the green space at 7929 S. U.S. 27 behind City Hall.
Then the city got a price. According to a Commonwealth Journal report from a July council meeting, a whole new playground came with a half-million-dollar price tag, and the planned upgrades proved prohibitively expensive.
Burnside didn't drop the donation. "We went to him this past year and asked him, did he care if we moved that money toward the pickleball court and he graciously said yes," Lawson said at the dedication, as the Commonwealth Journal reported. Merrick's total came to around $60,000, and the courts carry his company's name. The sign reads Merrick Hardwood Pickleball Courts.
Why the courts went on the tennis-court hill
The location was the second piece of reuse. The courts sit on the hill overlooking the Little League field, where the old tennis courts were. Lawson didn't soften it at the ribbon cutting. "We've got a tennis court up here that nobody uses, so we diverted funds (from a playground project that fell through) to a pickleball court," he said, according to the Commonwealth Journal.
Pickleball courts are smaller than tennis courts, so that hill now holds four playing surfaces. The Commonwealth Journal story also pointed out that players cover less ground and need less force on hits and serves, so the game works for a wide range of ages.
If you're using the Visit Burnside page for Cole Community Park to plan a visit, it still lists tennis courts. That page went up in March 2026, before the conversion.
Merrick's donation didn't cover everything. Here's how the Commonwealth Journal reported the funding:
| Contributor | Reported share |
|---|---|
| Steve Merrick, Merrick Hardwoods | About $60,000 |
| Pulaski County Government | About $10,000 |
| City of Burnside and Burnside Tourism | Split the remainder |
| Total project cost | About $90,000 |
Taylor Construction built the courts. B&M Fencing, Blue Heron Landscaping and Chris Fitzgerald also worked on the project.
Then the playground showed up anyway
The playground story didn't end when the pickleball plan began. The Pulaski County Board of Education built a new Burnside Elementary along South Ky. 1247, and the old school building on Lakeshore Drive still had its playground equipment. The board donated that equipment to the city at no cost. Burnside paid only to move and install it, close to $24,000.
"If you haven't seen it, you've got the new border all the way around it. It really turned out nice," Lawson said at the July council meeting, per the Commonwealth Journal.
Put the two projects together:
- Four pickleball courts: about $90,000 from all sources combined
- Relocated playground: close to $24,000 to move and install
- Both together: roughly $114,000
- The quote for a whole new playground alone: about $500,000
So the park got a playground and four courts for about 23 percent of what one new playground would have cost. Neither project needed land the city didn't already have, and neither needed equipment built from scratch.
Who's on the courts so far
The courts opened in June 2026. The July council coverage says they "officially opened last month." Tourism Director Aimee Mills told the council about a problem she called a good one. When the city got ready to clear the courts for the Independence Day fireworks, staff had to ask people to stop playing first.
"When we show up for work at 8 a.m., (people) are already out there playing," Mills said in the same Commonwealth Journal report. "They're being used, they're beautiful. It was money well spent, all the way around."
Some of those players drive down from Somerset. Terri Vinovich, administrator of the Somerset Pickleball Club, was on the courts as soon as the ribbon was cut. The club has 725 members, and some of them helped get Burnside's courts ready. "We live in Somerset, but I'd like to come down and play," she told the Commonwealth Journal. She and her group got there an hour early for the dedication.
There's no reservation system or league schedule yet. At the dedication, Lawson said the city wants people to "come up and play anytime they want to." He also said a schedule would be needed if everyone who promised to play actually shows up. Groups that want to hold a tournament should contact Mills at Burnside Tourism.
The courts have a second job
These courts also serve as the city's fireworks launch site. Burnside shot fireworks from the hill back when it was tennis courts, including for Thunder Over Burnside in September, and kept doing it after the switch. At the dedication, Lawson told the players that the city would put welding blankets down to protect the new surface whenever fireworks go off.
That's the same reuse thinking behind the rest of the park, with one hilltop now serving as both a game court and a launch site.
The rest of Cole Park around the new pieces
The courts and playground join a park with plenty already in it. According to Visit Burnside, Cole Community Park has:
- Multiple picnic shelters and grilling areas
- Horseshoe pits
- A basketball court
- A baseball field
- Paved paths, natural shade and seating areas
The park's main line is (606) 561-4113.
Merrick suggested at the dedication that this may not be his company's last project in town. "We hope this isn't our last project we do here. We want to do something else in the future," he said, as reported by the Commonwealth Journal.
What's left on the calendar this fall
The last park event of the season is this Friday. Burnside Tourism holds Somernites Cruise Meet & Greets at Cole Park on the fourth Friday of each month from April through October, and the final one for 2026 is Friday, October 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It features classic and custom cars with lake views, and the park still has a playground and courts for anyone who isn't there for the cars.
After that:
- Halloween in Burnside is set for Saturday, October 31. Visit Burnside's event page says activities and schedules will be shared later.
- Christmas Island runs November 17 through December 31 at General Burnside Island State Park, 8801 US-27. That's on the island, not in Cole Park. The listing says special nights, activities and Santa appearances will be announced closer to the event.
Visit Burnside's October through December calendar shows no other Cole Park events after the October 23 meet. Through the winter, the courts are first come, first served.
If you live near Cole Park and have wondered what this year's changes might mean for your home's value, I'm glad to walk through it with you without any pressure. I'm also happy to talk pickleball. Preston Brainard is here whenever you're ready. Let's Connect.
