Nicholas “Nick” J. Booker Basketball Courts

Site preparation for construction of the Nicholas J. Booker Basketball Courts in Forest Park began in November 2023, with the Forest Park Basketball project team assessing site conditions and installing temporary fencing to protect existing trees and plant life around the Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center.

Throughout January 2024, our crews removed old asphalt just north of the racquetball and handball courts while ensuring continued access to those recreational amenities. The team then mapped the entire layout with stakes and guidelines and, by the end of February, had laid drainage systems.

As some Forest Park Forever teams get the Park in shape for spring blooms and tree plantings in March, others coordinate with our contractors to grade the Forest Park Basketball project site, frame sidewalks, and order furnishings like the posts for single-rimed basketball hoops.

Crews poured concrete sidewalks, formed and poured footings for posts, verified locations for drinking fountains, prepared for the spectator pavilion and planted more trees around the project site.

In April the posts were raised, and the project site was taking shape with laid utilities and a few new sidewalks. As some project teams removed debris for surfacing and poured footings for retaining walls, others managed the orange construction perimeter fencing to protect tree roots and give access to folks traveling the trails.

As expected with outdoor projects, the weather significantly influenced our progress in May 2024. After soil remediation and despite weather delays, the asphalt was successfully poured on the two full and two half courts. The Forest Park Basketball project team then poured sidewalks between the new courts and reviewed the court surface colors for final selection.

Maintaining an active construction site means heavy equipment will travel in and out of Forest Park. Forest Park Forever experts aligned with vendors and local partners to maintain our standards for planting and maintenance throughout this project. Our Land Management teams completed most of the landscape planting throughout the spring and seeded the entire project site.

Dark sky-compliant standard lighting was delivered and installed in early June. Our nonprofit contracted with a local masonry company to complete the retaining wall on the site’s north edge. The contractor also poured concrete pavement for the spectator's shade pavilion, which was installed in July, just in time for the Community Celebration and Dedication on July 13, 2024.

The courts themselves include features that community members frequently emphasized: two full courts, two half courts, dark sky-compliant lighting, a shade pavilion and player benches. Our nonprofit conservancy is especially proud the Forest Park Basketball site will include over 30 new trees along with shrubs, flowers and many new plants.

With growing community interest in basketball, these courts would be an addition to the active recreation amenities currently available in Forest Park. The project goal is to provide an inclusive and comfortable setting for basketball to become an integral part of the Park’s recreational facilities.

In 2020 and 2021, the City of St. Louis Director of Parks, Recreation & Forestry and the Forest Park Advisory Board moved the concept for basketball forward as part of the 9-Step process outlined in the Forest Park Master Plan, which includes developing a project prospectus. A Basketball Subcommittee of the Advisory Board was formed and charged with duties to support basketball, set project goals and assist in recommending a site for basketball courts in the Park.

In the fall of 2022, after the subcommittee identified a preferred site, and in preparation for Step 6, project planners visited community basketball courts in the region in an effort to form a better understanding of what court amenities exist in other City parks and what features would help this amenity succeed in Forest Park. An online survey also collected community input on what features visitors and potential visitors would want to see.

In January and February 2023 the project team shared concepts and solicited feedback at four open houses in Forest Park, north St. Louis, south St. Louis and mid-St. Louis County. See the press release about the open houses here. Open houses were held at:

The Heights Recreation Center (including a Police vs. Fire Department basketball game) in Richmond Heights on Jan. 26

Marquette Recreation Center in south St. Louis on Jan. 31

Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center in Forest Park on Feb. 1

O’Fallon Park YMCA in north St. Louis on Feb. 1

The project team then used input collected at the open houses to define a single recommended design proposal to share with the Forest Park Advisory Board, as part of the 9-Step process outlined outlined in the Forest Park Master Plan.

Capital projects in Forest Park go through a public review process outlined in the Forest Park Master Plan, The Forest Park Advisory Board reviews each proposed project at three key stages in a nine-step design process.

In the initial phase of community engagement in 2022, the project team interviewed stakeholders, aldermen and visited community centers to solicit thoughts and preferences.

Public community engagement with stakeholders, Park visitors and potential visitors is part of this process to help inform project partners about public interests and needs. In fall and winter 2022-23, the basketball project team sought public input through an online survey and other on-site outreach for real-time feedback from the community, then used that input to refine a proposal to present to the Forest Park Advisory Board at Step 6 in March 2023.

As this project advances through the Master Plan’s nine-step process, the latest information on the project schedule and budget was shared with the public through the City’s Forest Park Advisory Board website.

Through community open houses (described in greater detail in the “Steps of Community Engagement, Development and Review”) and online surveys, the project team sought community input to help inform their proposal. Based on that feedback, adjustments to the concepts shown at the open houses were included in revised concepts proposed at Step 6, including:

Build both half and full courts in one phase

Eliminate fencing from design

Use asphalt and surface coating (friendlier to players’ bodies)

Keep swings in existing location north of the Visitor Center

Use dark sky compliant lighting (to limit light bleeding to neighboring areas)

Enhance tree canopy along Lindell

Minimize need for stormwater structures

Provide facilities for all ages

Improve access to courts area from Grand Drive

As part of the basketball project, a subcommittee of the Forest Park Advisory Board was formed to provide input throughout the community engagement and design process, including participating in the development of criteria for a site selection and site selection process itself. These criteria include:

Access to Restrooms, Food and Drink

Accessibility

Activity Generators

Security and Monitoring

Space Availability

Lighting and Utilities

Sun Orientation

Litter Control

Noise Impact

Creates Connections

Parity

Sites were evaluated for potential courts based on the site selection criteria, with a preferred site identified immediately adjacent to the north side of the Dennis & Judith Jones Visitor and Education Center. The site is adjacent to restroom facilities, vehicle and bicycle parking, in proximity to public transit connections, locker room facilities, a café and other active recreational facilities – handball, racquetball and tennis courts and playing fields.