ST. LOUIS — Forest Park visitors could be playing basketball for the first time in park history soon as preliminary plans for basketball courts were unveiled to the public.

Project planners started gathering community input in 2022 on what features visitors would like to see through an online survey, and concepts were shared where the community could provide feedback at open houses, according to Forest Park Forever’s website.

The basketball courts project is a partnership between St. Louis City Parks and Recreation Department and the Forestry and Forest Park Forever organization. Funding for it began in 2020.

Basketball court designs, site locations and other information about the project were on display at Marquette Recreation Center Tuesday, Jan. 31. The community was invited to attend the open house and provide feedback and comments about the project.

Goals of the project include having the basketball courts be part of the heart of the park; the courts should align with the park’s with equity and inclusion uses; and the courts should be safe, welcoming, and secure, according to the website.

Ten site areas behind the visitor's center have been chosen based on space availability, sun orientation, litter control, noise impact, accessibility, restrooms, securing and monitoring and more.

Top amenities selected by surveyed responses are drinking fountains with bottle fillers, night lighting, restroom access nearby, seating for non-players and players, full courts, shade or shade structures, basketballs available to the public, and a fence around the entire basketball facility, the website states.

During the Tuesday, Jan. 31, open house at Marquette Recreation Center, a knockout basketball game took place. High school junior DJ Pernal has played basketball throughout his life.

“I have to play it at all times," he told Spectrum News. "It’s more than just sport to me, it’s more like a therapy. Whenever I’m stressed, I play it and when I’m happy when I play it.”

He also has fond memories of his grandma taking him to Forest Park frequently as a child. 

“I think (we) used to go to Forest Park on purpose because they knew there were no basketball courts there," Pernal said with a smile. "At least now it’s finally getting there.”

When basketball courts are installed at Forest Park, Pernal said he plans to play there quite often, and in the future, bring his children there to carry on the family tradition. 

So far, there have been three aldermen meetings, six stakeholder interviews, eight project poster locations and nine community outreach events centered around the basketball courts project, according to the website. As of Jan. 12, there have been a total of 1,715 people who have participated in the community survey.

“The design team will use the input collected from the survey and other community outreach to inform its development proposal for the project as it advances through the Master Plan’s nine-step process,” the website states.

The timeline of the project includes a design development phase set for this spring, followed by a final design phase in the summer with construction starting toward the end this year.

Upcoming open houses as stated on the website:

 For more information about the project, click here.