Arnold Parks and Recreation Department staff members are working on three different projects simultaneously to enhance Arnold City Park.
The staff is building pickleball courts and a second pavilion at the Arnold Farmers Market, while also installing a new gravel parking lot at the park, which is on Bradley Beach Road off Jeffco Boulevard near the Meramec River.
Dave Crutchley, parks and rec department director, said the estimated cost to complete all three projects is a combined $95,000. He said the pickleball courts are expected to cost $35,000; the cost to build the pavilion is $35,000; and the cost to make the parking lot is $25,000.
“We have these three big jobs going on at the same time,” he said. “We are excited about all of the additions.”
Pickleball
Crutchley said numerous residents have asked city officials to build a pickleball court in the city.
The parks and rec department requested $295,000 to build courts in the city for this fiscal year, which started Sept. 1, 2025, and goes through Aug. 31. The project was not included in the budget when City Council members approved it.
“Because of the popularity, it was decided to do something a little bit smaller and see how the public reacts,” Crutchley said. “If it is used a lot, we can go back and look at doing something that is bigger and better.”
He said the city decided to build three pickleball courts where the tennis courts were previously in the park, and the work started near the end of March.
Crutchley said there will be 6 inches of concrete poured over the old tennis courts and then a pickleball surface will be added on top of that.
Parks and rec staff also will build fences behind the service lines of the courts, but there will be no fencing on the sideline sides of the courts.
Crutchley said the fences on the front and back of the courts are needed because the courts are between two roads in the park.
He said the city will place temporary nets on the courts to complete the project, and the courts will only be striped for pickleball use. He said the city may add lines for tennis and basketball and put up basketball nets in the future.
“It could be a multi-use court,” Crutchley said. “It will be for pickleball only until we see how it is received. We can always go in to drill holes for permanent nets. The issue is that it is in a floodplain, and with less holes in it, we shouldn’t have that lifting and stuff.”
Crutchley said the courts will likely be ready to use in July. He said the courts will appear to be done before players may start using them, but the surface will need time to set before the courts may be used.
Pavilion
The new pavilion will be in the middle of the 40 new vendor stalls the city built for the Farmers Market, which is near the entrance of the park.
Crutchley said work on the pavilion began April 17.
Dianne Brewer, market manager, said the pavilion will provide additional seating that may encourage people to stay at the market longer than in the past. She said about 2,000 customers shop at the market each week.
A wood-burning fireplace also will be part of a pavilion. Ken Moss, who owned Fireside Arnold Stove and Fireplace Center, donated the fireplace to the city.
Moss, who is a former Arnold City Council member, closed the store in August. The store, which was open for nearly 40 years, was damaged by a tornado that ripped through Arnold on March 14, 2025.
Crutchley said the fireplace may be used near the start and end of the market season when the weather may be cold. He also said the fireplace may be used for photo opportunities with Santa Claus during Arnold’s Christmas in the Park event.
The city has held Christmas in the Park on the first Saturday in December for the last three years.
“It should be pretty neat,” Crutchley said of the pavilion at the market.
Parking lot
The gravel lot is north of the Farmers Market, and an estimated 120 vehicles are expected to be able to park in it when the lot is completed.
Crutchley said work on the lot started near the end of February, and it should be ready for use by May 2. The Farmers Market opens for the season on May 2.
“We went in there pretty aggressively and started,” he said. “There were some big trees that TJ’s (Landscaping and Tree Service) came in and dropped for us.”
Crutchley said staff have worked on the lot off and on as weather has permitted, and when the staff was not working on the other projects in the park.
He said the first 2 inches of rock have been put down, but there is still more rock to be placed before the final gravel overlay is laid. He also said the city plans to put in bollards to show drivers where to park.
Crutchley said while the lot is expected to be ready to use on May 2, more work will need to be done to complete the project.
“We won’t have a paved area from the market to the lot,” he said. “The path will probably be done when we are pouring the floor for the new pavilion, which will probably happen in June or July.”