Poplar Grove Park Court Replacement
This project includes replacing two tennis courts in Poplar Grove Park with one tennis and two pickleball courts. This project also includes the expansion of the basketball court.
Full Project Scope
The sportcourt project was funded through the Capital Improvement Program in 2021. This project will reconstruct the existing tennis courts into one tennis and two pickleball courts. It will also create a new central hangout space between the courts, add ADA parking and walkways, and improve landscaping surrounding the court. The Arts Council identified this site for public artwork and has commissioned the Roots Art Kollective to paint a surface mural on the court.
Following the approval of the sportcourt, City Council also allocated funding for the reconstruction and expansion of the half basketball court located in the park. The basketball court will be full-sized with perimeter fencing and an in-ground futsal goal system. The basketball court will also include a surface mural commissioned by the Arts Council.
The tennis and basketball projects will be constructed simultaneously for cost efficiency and to minimize impacts to the park. Construction is anticipated for late 2025/early 2026.
About the Artwork
The Artists: Roots Art Kollective (RAK)
The RAK are a local art collective composed of three Mexican-American artists: Miguel Galaz, Alan Ochoa, and Luis Novoa. The collective began painting community murals in 2015 in Salt Lake City. Their mission is to expand public art to create vibrant environments that allow people to learn about the cultures that enrich our communities. They have over eight years of painting murals and are known for their use of nature, patterns, and calligraphy in their bold and expressive work. The RAK’s proposal stood out not just for its high-quality designs, but also for their keen interest in connecting to the community and creating something representative of and inspiring to the Poplar Grove neighborhood.
“The RAK wants to make the Jordan River a main feature [of the artwork], as it is an important component to the wildlife and the sense of pride to the west side communities, especially Poplar Grove. The theme of water, movement, environment, flow, and dance are all elements that we wanted to explore. The way water dances and flows is similar to how tennis/pickleball can imitate a dance done with focus, power, and flow. . . We want to highlight and juxtapose the sport of tennis and pickleball to the beautifully different styles and traditions of dance.”
Community Engagement
Public Lands conducted community engagement in the summer of 2022 to gather input on the types of courts and art to be included at the park. Salt Lake City Arts Council’s Public Art Program and Salt Lake City Public Lands have used the feedback from engagement to design a permanent surface mural that will be integrated into the sports courts at Poplar Grove Park. Based on the results of the engagement, the City decided to reconstruct one of the tennis courts and replace the other with two pickleball courts. The Roots Art Kollective will further engage the community throughout the painting and unveiling process.
Project Location
Status
Design has completed. Project will begin permitting in preparation for construction.