First permanent public pickleball court opens in Brownsville

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Cameron County has embraced the pickleball mania sweeping the nation by building two regulation, public pickleball courts at Pedro “Pete” Benavides County Park, the latest addition to the 64-acre park’s many amenities.

Benavides Park, located at South Browne Avenue and California Road east of the Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport, is named for the late Precinct 1 county commissioner who led the push for its creation. The park was dedicated in 2006, the year Benavides died. His widow, Sofia Benavides, was appointed to fill out the remainder of her husband’s term, and continues to represent Precinct 1 on the commissioners court.

At a Monday ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new courts, each measuring 20×40 feet, Benavides said she got the idea after her sister got hooked on the sport, and even tried it herself a couple of times.

“Every time we add a new amenity to the park, we like to celebrate,” she said.

Benavides thanked her fellow commissioners, county Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. and other counties officials and administrative staff for helping make the new courts a reality.

“We really look forward to it and I’ll hope there will be a lot of use,” she said.

Pickleball was invented in Bainbridge Island, Washington, by Congressman Joel Pritchard and family friends Bill Bell and Barney McCallum in 1965.

Edgar Navarro, a member of the RGV Pickleball Association, said he’s thrilled to have the new courts, noting that pickleball brings together people of all ages. He said he’s met dozens of people around the Valley thanks to the fast-moving sport, adding that the Benavides Park courts are the first permanent public pickleball courts in the Brownsville area.

“I’m very community involved, and I found that this sport is very community oriented,” Navarro said. “It builds a lot of community in cities.”

Benavides Park began with two baseball fields, a soccer field and picnic pavilion. Since then the county has added a full-covered basketball court, walking and mountain bike trails, a splash pad, playground, exercise and volleyball courts, and picnic pavilions.

On Dec. 22, the park hosted the first of what will be an annual mountain bike race, Benavides said, adding that the event drew 63 competitors from across the Valley and even the Mexican cities of Camargo and Reynosa. More improvements to the park are coming, including another playground a “pump track” — like a skate park but for bikes, she said.

County Parks Director Joe Vega, taking a turn at the microphone during the ceremony, described it as “an exciting day for Cameron County parks,” adding that $25 million in improvements to county parks, including Benavides, will begin in the new year.

“We’re fixing to start getting busy here,” he said.

Following the official comments, J.R. Raschilla, PB drill instructor for RGV Pickleball, led officials and others in attendance to an adjacent court to explain the rules of the game. Players then offered a demonstration.

The two new courts cost approximately $183,000 to build, including nets, shade structures, landscaping, fencing and picnic tables, according to the county. The project was funded by 2024 certificates of obligation. The contractor was A&I Custom Manufacturing.

Benavides said her husband would be proud to see how far project he initiated has come, and welcomed everyone to take advantage of it.

“I try and bring something new every so often when we have money,” she said.

Treviño noted that he was mayor of Brownsville when Benavides Park opened, and expressed amazement at what Benavides and the county have done with it over nearly 20 years.

“Really this is a state-of-the-art facility,” he said. “But it would not have been realized without Sofia’s commitment and leadership.”

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