The Marshalltown Community School District unveiled its new court complex Tuesday.

Despite the colder temperatures, Marshalltown residents, school district and city officials arrived to celebrate the long-awaited opening of the complex, which will bring improved outdoor recreation and opportunities to host tournaments.

The complex includes 12 tennis courts and three pickleball courts. Unlike the old courts, six of the 12 tennis courts and all of the pickleball courts will have lighting.

James Christensen, Bobcat boys tennis coach and director of the Bobcat Tennis Academy, said the complex will make Marshalltown a central hub for the sport in Iowa.

“I’m excited, absolutely. This will be pretty much the premier outdoor tennis facility in the state,” he said.

Despite the weather and pandemic related challenges lobbed by 2020, the project remains on schedule to be substantially completed by Nov. 1.

In 1974, the school district and city teamed to create the original eight tennis courts. An additional four courts were located in Tankersly Park and served as the high school’s courts. Those courts were later repurposed.

The normal lifespan of an asphalt tennis court in the midwest is about 25 years, according to superintendent Theron Schutte.

“We got 40ish years out of them. That speaks highly to the city’s upkeep and maintenance,” he said.

Some of the courts at Marshalltown High School became unplayable and unsafe in later years due to large cracks and an uneven surface.

The complex did not have seating for spectators outside of a few benches. Otherwise, spectators would bring chairs and watch from outside the fence. The new complex will have bleachers.

Another needed addition is men’s and women’s restrooms, which the new complex has.

“It’s going to hit the whole community from a recreational aspect,” Christensen said. “From kids 3 years old to — I’ve seen pickleball players over 100 years old.”

The updated facilities are already earning Marshalltown the opportunity to host events with two United States Tennis Association events scheduled for next summer. The high school tennis program typically has 40-50 athletes participating for boys and girls teams.

Christensen mentioned the economic impact hosting events can have on the community.

“We know we’ll be drawing people from a 150-mile radius,” he said. “That’s 50 or 60 families to come stay in our hotels and eat at our restaurants.”

The total cost of constructing the complex was about $2.3 million. The city approved a $684,000 bond for the project in March. The Martha Ellen Tye Foundation granted $150,000 for the pickleball courts. The school board recently approved a $70 grant from the USTA and received an additional $10,000 from the Missouri Valley branch of the association.

Schutte said there are plans to improve more athletic facilities.

“The next big project would be the football, soccer, track complex which, that facility is original to the 1960s,” he said. “We don’t have that on the immediate radar.”

Contact Joe Fisher at 641-753-6611 or jfisher@timesrepublican.com