New Courts Coming To Sartell’s Pinecone Central Park

(KNSI) – Pinecone Central Park in Sartell is adding basketball courts and a winter skating rink in the coming years. A major driver for the $200,000-plus project is the Tom Bearson Foundation. It will contribute around $150,000 to the initiative.

The courts will be constructed using special outdoor tiling and maintained by the City of Sartell going forward. More parking is also being planned as Foundation President Greg Bearson expects the courts to be a magnet for players from across the region.

He said during Monday’s City Council meeting, “I also envision that the courts are going to become a destination for a lot of basketball players in Central Minnesota. I think these courts are gonna be so cool, that there’s gonna be a lot of people that want to come and say they’ve played at these courts.”

As the presentation started, Bearson went into the history of the organization. He touched on the Sartell Community Center, among other projects. He says the outdoor courts at Pinecone Central Park will be the capstone initiative.

Bearson said, “And by the way, this will be our foundation’s last project. This will basically be the end of our foundation if you will. We want to go out strong, do something that’s going to have a lasting memory, and really help Sartell become a jewel.” He likened heading the foundation to a full-time job.

Bearson said he isn’t sure when the project will be complete. Current expectations are for some time in 2023.

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