Six new pickleball courts will make their debut in Traverse City on Friday.

At the request of residents, Traverse City Parks and Recreation agreed to convert two of the four tennis courts at Slabtown Corner park along Division Street into six pickleball courts. The project was funded by donations from the neighborhood Friendly Pickleball Club, the Traverse Area Pickleball Association (TAPA), and the Health Department of NW Michigan as part of their Greenspace Improvement Project grant program.

The project included "resurfacing and painting six pickleball courts to replace the existing two courts to maximize playing opportunities in the space available," according to Parks and Recreation. "A previous phase of the plan was completed last fall, which included the installation of manual timers on the lights to reduce energy consumption when courts were not in use."

The pickleball courts will be ready for public use beginning Friday, the department said.