The dream of pickleball may be dead at Denver’s Civic Center gravel pit

The pop of pickleball won’t be heard anytime soon at the Civic Center Station gravel pit.

In recent years, city bigwigs were deep in talks about curbing crime in downtown Denver by installing courts at the pit on Colfax and Broadway.

Neighbors had been griping about crime in the area. Police were inundated with emergency calls. And over the years, encampments have come and gone.

Evan Dreyer, Mayor Mike Johnston’s deputy chief of staff, led the charge in finding a gravel pit fix as part of larger talks about remodeling Civic Center Park and the Greek Amphitheater.

The mayor’s office, the Downtown Denver Partnership, Councilmember Chris Hinds and the Civic Center Conservancy were all part of the talks. They considered a food truck court, an urban garden, basketball or tennis courts, a sk