In August 2025, Brownsburg collected more than 213 public comments on a proposed Lincolnwood Park master plan with a $92 million price tag. Its most-requested pieces included an indoor pool, a recreation center and indoor pickleball courts. Fourteen months later, the town's indoor courts cost $5 a visit and sit inside a school district gym at 725 S. Green St.
The gym is Harris Gym. Brownsburg Parks started adult Open Gym there this fall through an agreement with Brownsburg Community School Corporation. You can play pickleball there twice a week, and you get a court without a reservation app or a monthly membership. It also gives the town an indoor option this winter while the outdoor courts and the larger park plan are both still in progress.
The Gym Is Borrowed, and the Agreement Has an End Date
Harris is a working school building. The district describes Harris Academy as a mastery-based small learning community for Brownsburg High School students, usually juniors and seniors, and a site for Area 31 career and technical courses. In the evenings, the gym now hosts the town's adult programs.
The town announced the program on Oct. 5, 2026. The arrangement runs under a Special Use Agreement between the Town and BCSC. That agreement is effective through September 2027 and gets reviewed every year. Town Council President Ben Lacey explained the logic in the announcement:
"Having access to indoor recreation space allows us to meet community needs with spaces already available in our community."
Parks Director Amber Lane called it a way to "give residents additional options to stay active throughout the year." Here is the posted schedule for October and November:
| Night | Sport | Time | Cost | Ages |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Basketball | 6–9 p.m. | $5 per visit | 18+ |
| Wednesday | Pickleball | 6–9 p.m. | $5 per visit | 18+ |
| Sunday | Pickleball | 6–9 p.m. | $5 per visit | 18+ |
The town says the sport schedule can change based on community interest and feedback. That makes attendance this fall the main information the town has for deciding how the gym gets used next.
Why Pickleball Got Two of the Three Nights
To see why pickleball got two of the three nights, look across town at Stephens Park.
The Stephens Park pickleball courts opened in 2021 and have grown in popularity, according to Current's Oct. 20 report. That report says the courts have also drawn months of noise concerns from nearby residents. The town has been working on the courts in stages all fall:
- Resurfacing. The contract was scheduled to start Sept. 21, 2026, weather permitting, and the Aug. 20 project report said the courts would be temporarily unavailable during construction. The work included crack repair, a new acrylic color coating and restriping to regulation standards.
- Site prep. Parks staff removed plants and moved irrigation lines at Stephens Park to make room for a new fence, according to the Oct. 2 Park Authority report.
- Fencing and access control. Lane told the Town Council on Oct. 8 that resurfacing was complete and new fencing was going in. The department was also working with Security Pros on an automated access management system before moving on to sound mitigation, Current reported.
- Sound mitigation. The plan calls for Acoustiblok sound-damping material built into a reinforced 10-foot fence, a spring-loaded gate, and a row of Arrowwood Viburnum planted around the courts as a natural sound buffer. An automated system would lock the courts at closing time while keeping an emergency exit open.
The money for step four is the unsettled part. Current put the plan Lane outlined in June at about $128,500. The June 17 director's report listed quotes of $44,000 for sound-damping material and $55,750 for fencing, with a total estimate of $127,000 to $147,000. The project was not in the parks department's 2026 budget, and Lane had said she would work with the town controller's office to find reserve funding. In October, the department was checking references on contractors who offered lower prices. Council members supported that extra research even if it delayed the project. The town has not announced a completion date for the remaining sound work.
At the same Oct. 8 meeting, Lane pointed out that indoor pickleball would be available at Harris Academy during open gym sessions, giving players another option as temperatures drop. The two projects are linked. Harris gives players a place to go indoors on Wednesday and Sunday nights while the town finishes the work at Stephens Park on a careful budget, with neighbors waiting on the sound buffer.
What More Than 213 Comments Asked For
Harris Gym is not the indoor facility people asked for in 2025. According to the town's public comment summary report on the Lincolnwood Park plan, the recreation center drew strong support, with suggestions for indoor walking tracks, weight rooms and basketball courts. Supporters called it "long overdue," and some said they were frustrated that Brownsburg lags behind Avon, Plainfield, Carmel and Fishers in public amenities.
The cost drew the most criticism. Comments objecting to the $92 million price tag included phrases like "not fiscally responsible." Many said roads, water, sewer and public safety should come first, and others wanted the property kept as passive green space. Several commenters suggested a 2% restaurant tax or a public-private partnership as ways to pay for it. The council tabled the master plan on Aug. 14, 2025, according to a Citizen Portal summary of that meeting.
By June 2026, work at Lincolnwood was described as baseline improvements meant to stabilize the site for future development. Drainage repairs were complete, sinkholes were filled, parking upgrades were planned for spring, and staff were waiting on a design fee proposal for the trail. That work is drainage, safety and trails. None of it is a building.
The town has also adopted a broader framework since then. On March 26, 2026, Town Council approved the 2026–2030 Parks Strategic Master Plan as the department's official guide for parks, trails, programs and facilities. Individual capital projects still go through normal review and approval. Any future indoor facility would have to win its own approval and funding.
Until something larger exists, the indoor answer is the one Lacey described. The town is using a gym that already exists, under an agreement that is reviewed every year, at a price low enough for people to drop in.
Before You Head to Harris
The details below come from the town's announcement and its event listings:
- Equipment: Basketballs and pickleball paddles are provided, and you can bring your own.
- No lockers: Leave valuables in the car or at home.
- Signing up: You can register ahead or pay at the door, and the listings note that activities and available space may vary by session.
- Ages: 18 and older only.
- Coming in December: The Parks calendar lists upcoming basketball Open Gym on Dec. 7, Dec. 14 and Dec. 21, all from 6 to 9 p.m. Check brownsburgparks.com for December pickleball nights before you go.
- Program rules: Equipment and participation guidelines are posted on the town's Open Gym page.
Since the town will set future schedules based on community interest and feedback, turnout on a Wednesday in November counts toward what Harris offers next year.
New indoor recreation, outdoor courts being rebuilt and park plans still in design all shape everyday life in Brownsburg. If you'd like to understand how those changes affect your home or your next move, Home Strategy Group tracks this town closely. Request your personalized market consultation.
