JENKS, Okla. — Pickleball is just the latest part of snowballing development in Jenks.
In the area near the Arkansas River, construction continues on the Simon Mall. A little farther east is where four Tulsa developers plan to open a pickleball and restaurant concept.
Angelo Cuzalina is one of those developers. He started playing pickleball to find a happy medium between tennis and ping pong.
"You get the benefit of the exercise, pretty easy, but it's really simple to pick up," Cuzalina said.
In fact, at Southern Hills where Cuzalina is a member, he said they added pickleball courts to their property. While playing their with friends, he soon decided he wanted to bring it to Jenks.
"You want to be in the new, up and coming area, and when we analyzed it, this seemed like the place to be," Cuzalina said.
Amidst all the development in Jenks and around the Arkansas River, Mayor Cory Box wants things to be complimentary and "jive" with each other.
"We've got more pickleball than we can actually juggle. We're not necessarily looking to become the pickleball mecca of the United States or Oklahoma."
They could be if they wanted. Box says multiple developers have reached out to him, with pickleball in mind.
One was eyeing vacant land across from the Oklahoma Aquarium. It's a possibility, but Box is leaving options open for the future.
"We wanna be very cautious and deliberate with the development around the aquarium campus cause," Box said, "Ultimately, what we don't want, is for the aquarium to be overshadowed or not seen."
Box is not fully committing to more pickleball, but he is committing to this one.
"We don't have anybody protesting this decision. We are all super excited for you to be here," Box said.
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