More pickleball courts and a pump track are coming to Minot.

The Minot Park Board on Tuesday approved an engineering agreement that gives the group promoting a pump track the green light to begin fundraising for the project, said Ron Merritt.

A pump track is a looped sequence of swooped, banked turns for bike riders that is designed to maximize momentum, so bikers need minimal pedaling.

The interest in bringing such a track to Minot came from a Give 360 Circle under the Minot Area Community Foundation. This group of charitable givers was looking to develop a community space when discussion turned to constructing a pump track, said Staci Kenney, program director with MACF.

“It’s becoming really popular,” she said of pump tracks. “There’s one in North Dakota right now in Dunn Center, and there are several being developed around this area. There’s quite a few in South Dakota.”

The Give 360 group opened communication with Pump Trax USA and also contacted Minot Park District about partnering. The park district would provide space in northwest Minot in the area of the dog park, baseball complex and trail system. It also would provide maintenance, management and programming, while Give 360 intends to provide 100% of development costs, Kenney said.

The park board approved an engineering agreement with EAPC for $48,500 to survey and complete a master plan. Merritt estimated EAPC will have a concept completed within two months.

Kenney said the plan is to construct both regular and ADA-accessible tracks.

The park board also decided to convert tennis courts in Roosevelt Park into eight pickleball courts, which could happen as soon as sometime this next summer. A pickleball fundraising group has been asked to provide at least $9,000 toward the cost, estimated at $89,000.

Merritt said the park district has some funds available that it has earmarked for court improvements. It also will be looking for grants and other donations. 

The existing courts in Roosevelt Park need resurfacing, but they also will need striping, nets, standards and benches for the conversion to pickleball.

Merritt said the Roosevelt Park courts receive minimal use by tennis players, who have better facilities at Hammond Park. The Roosevelt Park courts have been used as overflow during tennis tournaments, but Merritt said the park district has other outdoor courts that can be used, as well as the facilities at the Cameron Indoor Tennis Center.