'Family Park' opens in southwest Topeka

TOPEKA (KSNT) - A highly-anticipated park has officially opened in Southwest Topeka. Family Park, the first park in Shawnee County in 50 years, is welcoming visitors.

Shawnee County Parks and Rec held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the park on Wednesday.

The park offers several amenities, including 16 pickleball courts. The sport is growing in popularity nationwide and in Shawnee County, drawing hundreds of players.

"We have over 300 members, just paid members of our association and then there's many more people who play who haven't joined yet. But we're going to get them to join!" said Susan Winters, Chair of the Topeka Pickleball Association. "And the nice thing about pickleball, anybody of any age can play. We have people over 80 that play. We have kids that play. My grandkids love to play!"

A large crowd of people flocked to the park's "destination playground", shortly after the ribbon-cutting. Aside from slides and swings, it also features a jungle gym, a rope net tower, and a merry-go-round.

There's also a fitness loop for people to take strolls throughout the day. Park officials say they'll be adding a shelter space later on.

However, Shawnee County Commissioners and Parks and Rec officials say it's only 'Phase One' of the park's master plan.

The original master plan was released in 2021, after nearly a decade of discussions about the idea. It featured additional plans for a clubhouse, dog park, and sledding hill.

However, getting the next phase implemented could take some time.

"Those are still in the making, we're kind of waiting to see what's going on with budget talks and everything like that," said Sean Zears, a spokesman for Shawnee County Parks and Rec. "Our biggest thing is we want to make sure that this gets done first, then we wait and see if we're going to be able to continue."

Parks and Rec also announced that they're dedicating part of the park to Robert Archer, a former Shawnee County Commissioner and Topeka City Councilman. Archer passed away in 2022, after a long-fought battle with cancer. The pickleball courts will officially be named the "Archer Family Pickleball Complex" in his honor.