CRANBERRY TWP — Graham Park will get a major expansion as the Cranberry Township Community Chest’s new project of the year.

The 2017 project will be funding and building the CTCC SportCourts at Graham Park.

The group wants to raise $750,000 in donations and grants to build a number of new courts in the township park. The project was announced Thursday by the community chest.

The plans, which are subject to change, call for eight pickleball courts, four tennis courts, two basketball courts, three bocce courts, two shuffleboard courts, two horseshoe courts and two cornhole courts, according to a news release.

The courts will be built on a grassy area near the entrance to the park.

A community garden also is planned.

Bruce Mazzoni, community chest chairman, said the project is something the township was hoping to do, but did not have money for.

“I’m excited. I think it’s a really nice asset for the community, and not just Cranberry, but surrounding communities,” he said.

One unique aspect about the project will be that when people make a donation, they can specify which sport they would like it to go toward. There also will be naming rights for the individual courts.

As fundraising progresses, the plans could change, he said.

For example, if there is a lot of interest and donations for the bocce courts, but not as much interest in the tennis courts, the plans could be adjusted to build extra bocce courts in place of a tennis court.

The $750,000 goal makes the sports courts the largest project of the year that the community chest has ever done. The 2016 project of the year had a goal of $600,000 to resurface the Miracle League of Southwestern PA field in Graham Park and to build a new playground.

Mazzoni said that if the group does not raise the $750,000, the project can still happen, but with fewer courts than in the initial plans.

Pete Geis, township parks and recreation director, said that phase two of development in the park has been in the works for about 10 years.

The 110-acre park opened in 2008 with 13 lighted athletic fields, called the Dick’s Sporting Goods Sportsplex. It also has a fishing pond, a dek hockey rink, the Miracle League field, a walking trail and fitness stations.

Of the new sports courts, Geis said, “It’s a huge deal. The population has been growing rapidly and our facilities haven’t yet matched that and this is going to get us to where we need to be,”

In addition to the new courts, the township plans additional improvements to the park for next year including a restroom and storage building, handicap parking and walking trail expansion.

The grassy area where the courts will be built is often used by people playing Frisbee or doing other activities, Geis said.

To make up for the loss of that grassy area, the township plans to enhance an undeveloped area next to the dek hockey rink, Geis said.

In gathering community feedback about parks, a number of residents said that they would like to see more facilities for senior citizens.

“It’s more adult and senior friendly as opposed to ball fields and playgrounds,” Geis said of the new sports courts.

But that doesn’t mean people of all ages can’t enjoy all of the new facilities. Geis said that many children learn how to play shuffleboard in physical education class, so having those courts in the park gives them a chance to use what they learned.

Pickleball, played with paddles and a wiffle-type ball, has become increasingly popular in recent years. Many people play the game on the tennis courts in the Community Park on Route 19, but unlike tennis courts, the new pickleball courts will be regulation size.

Mazzoni said that with eight pickleball courts, and the capacity for more temporary courts to be set up, officials envision Graham Park as a site to host pickleball tournaments, drawing hundreds of people from the region or even out of state.

He said with the new courts, there would not be a park or location in Western Pennsylvania that would have more regulation pickleball courts. If pickleball or other sports groups are willing to partner with the community chest, then the plans could be tweaked to accommodate future events in the park, he said.

“We’re looking for not just the input but help in raising the funds. If people feel confident that they could bring money in with their concepts, we’re open to that,” he said.