VERMILION — The next phase of improvements at Showse Park is expected to focus on a sports complex designed to give residents more ways to play, compete and stay active.
The planned Showse Park Sports Complex would include four pickleball courts, two basketball courts, dedicated cornhole areas and space for group exercise, such as yoga, tai chi or similar activities.
Community feedback shaped plan
Council President Jeff Lucas said the project grew out of community feedback gathered through online surveys and in-person forms during Showse Palooza.
“We got feedback from all the citizens that we could,” Lucas said. “People filled out their wants, their needs. They provided the feedback, so it allowed us to rank what should be involved in everything we’re doing.”
Lucas said breaking the work into phases helped move the project forward.
“This probably would not have happened if we didn’t say, let’s just bite off enough that we can manage,” he said. “Let’s do it right. Let’s get the funding, and let’s do it.”
The sports complex is part of a broader effort to make Showse Park more active and usable for residents of different ages.
“That was our central theme, health and fitness,” Lucas said. “Yes, it’s great to have a playground, but if a kid’s playing, that’s fitness. Everything is tied together.”
Courts, cornhole and parking
The pickleball area is expected to include four courts with low dividers between them to help keep balls from crossing into neighboring games. The basketball side is expected to include two adjustable hoops, with one set higher and one set lower.
Between the pickleball and basketball areas, the city plans to add a dedicated cornhole lane with permanent boards designed for outdoor use.
“Where have you ever been where people don’t like cornhole?” Lucas said.
Parking improvements also are part of the project. Lucas said two parking lots are expected to be repaired, striped and outfitted with parking blocks, including spaces for regular and handicap parking.
Lucas said the goal is to have the sports complex and parking work completed by spring 2027, though the city still has to go through the proper process because part of the work involves state funding.
“We’ve already gotten quotes, the estimates for the whole job,” Lucas said. “But now, because it’s state funded, a portion of it, we need to spend the money according to state requirements.”