Quick answer: New pickleball courts in Rhode Island are funded in three places right now: six courts at Glocester Memorial Park, more courts at Oak Hill Park in Pawtucket, and a state-backed project on Block Island. A fourth town, North Providence, dropped courts from its park plan and handed back a $400,000 state grant.
The 30-second version
- Glocester: six courts, $500,000 state grant, construction from fall 2026 into 2027.
- Pawtucket: added courts at Oak Hill Park, $600,000 to $700,000 project, done by spring or summer 2027.
- Block Island: $100,000 state grant for new courts in New Shoreham.
- North Providence: courts were in the original Coletti Park plan. Neighbors objected and the 2022 grant went back.
- The pattern: distance from houses now decides where courts go.
Where are new pickleball courts in Rhode Island being built?
Three projects have money behind them, one was redesigned, and one town is trying to fix courts it already built.
| Town | Project | Money | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glocester | Six courts and a quarter-mile walking loop at Glocester Memorial Park | $500,000 state grant | Construction fall 2026 through 2027 |
| Pawtucket | Added courts and renovated tennis courts at Oak Hill Park | $600,000 to $700,000, city bond and federal block grant | Starts fall 2026, done spring or summer 2027 |
| New Shoreham | Block Island Pickleball Court project | $100,000 state grant | Awarded March 2026 |
| North Providence | Coletti Park, first planned with tennis and pickleball courts | $400,000 state grant declined | Redesigned, design out to bid |
| Smithfield | Existing courts at Willow Field | Sound engineer hired | Studying a move |
How much state money is going to pickleball?
Two of the 15 state recreation grants awarded this year name pickleball, and together they total $600,000 of the roughly $5.7 million handed out.
The Department of Environmental Management announced the awards on March 24, 2026. It said 50 applications sought nearly five times the money available. Glocester received $500,000. New Shoreham received $100,000 for courts with native plantings and a rain garden.
Glocester’s town planner told The Valley Breeze the plan is six courts, with design and bidding in summer 2026 and grant close-out by December 2027.
Why did North Providence give back $400,000?
The town redesigned Coletti Park so heavily after neighbors objected that the state no longer treated it as the project it had funded. The town bought the five-acre farm in 2019 for a soccer field and tennis and pickleball courts.
The concept settled on last fall has more green space, a walking trail, a playground and a picnic area. The town’s grants manager said state officials advised her to decline the 2022 grant without prejudice and reapply later, The Valley Breeze reported in August. The reporting does not list courts in the new concept.
Why does noise decide where courts go now?
Because fixing a noise problem after the courts open costs more than avoiding it, and Rhode Island now has an example of each.
- Pawtucket planned for it. Mayor Donald Grebien said the Oak Hill courts will sit near Daggett Farm, not beside houses. The site was picked, he told The Valley Breeze, so the city would not be affecting any residents.
- Smithfield is retrofitting. The town has a new fence with noise-reducing material at Willow Field, a sound engineer on the job, and a town manager pricing a move. He also wants a second site, the paper reported October 1. Background: our Smithfield noise story.
Towns that cannot move courts turn to equipment rules: see quiet paddles in Salem, New Hampshire and towns that regulate the ball.
What does this mean if you play in Rhode Island?
It means more public courts in the northwest and the Blackstone Valley by 2027, though neither the Glocester nor the Pawtucket courts open this fall.
- Barrington finished four dedicated courts in 2024. Details are in our new Barrington guide.
- East Greenwich’s courts ran well past the grant estimate, as our East Greenwich guide shows.
- For everything open today, start at the Rhode Island pickleball hub, the Providence guide or the court directory.
Is your town weighing courts? Our pickleball court grants guide covers the funding side.
Frequently asked questions
Where are new pickleball courts being built in Rhode Island?
Glocester plans six courts at Glocester Memorial Park, Pawtucket is adding courts at Oak Hill Park, and New Shoreham has a state grant for courts on Block Island.
When will the Glocester pickleball courts open?
No opening date is set. The town expects construction from fall 2026 through 2027, with the grant closed out by December 2027.
How many courts is Pawtucket adding at Oak Hill Park?
The city has not published a number. It says the project adds pickleball courts, renovates the tennis courts and should finish in spring or summer 2027.
Does Rhode Island give grants for pickleball courts?
Yes. The state’s Outdoor Recreation Grants are matching grants to cities and towns. Two of the 15 awards in March 2026 named pickleball courts.
Why are towns moving pickleball courts away from houses?
Noise complaints. Smithfield is paying for a sound engineer and a noise-reducing fence at existing courts, and Pawtucket chose a site away from homes.