Community Park —
Pickleball Courts

The Challenge

As soon as the City of Savage opened its pickleball courts at Community Park in 2021, the sounds of paddles and shuffling feet could be heard from the crack of dawn until closing time. There was one problem: The courts weren’t lit. City staff began searching for a lighting solution that would enable players to more safely enjoy the facility at all hours. As they visited the courts in other communities, they noticed that some facilities were dimly lit or had uneven light coverage that left shadows. Wanting to avoid these pitfalls, the city set an ambitious goal of having the best public, lighted courts in Minnesota—and to accomplish this at a reasonable price with energy-efficient LED technology.

The Solution

The City of Savage reached out to Musco, a company they’d worked with on prior sports lighting projects. City staff relayed their high expectations for the project and Musco responded with a lighting design that used its Total Light Control—TLC for LED™ technology to deliver a guaranteed light level of 50 footcandles and uniformity of 2:1—a standard commonly set for projects like high school football stadiums that require superior safety and visibility. As general contractor, Musco simplified the process by managing all aspects of the project, coordinating the work of all construction parties and subcontractors. After the lights went on, facility usage skyrocketed as the facility continued to develop a reputation as one of Minnesota’s best venues for pickup games and league play. Within a year, the city added four more lighted courts—and patrons are already asking for more.