What we have in mind
A public indoor recreation center for Chatham County: the courts, space, and programs the county has never had. Multiple full-size courts that can be configured for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, and more, with room for fitness, walking, and community events. Run by Parks and Recreation, open to everyone, and priced so no kid is left out.
- Courts for basketball, volleyball, pickleball, futsal, indoor soccer, and more
- Space for youth leagues, adult leagues, tournaments, and open play
- A walking track, fitness space, a climbing wall, and room for community gatherings
- County-built and county-funded, so it stays public and affordable
Built together by Chatham County and the Town of Pittsboro: one shared investment for the whole community.
Why Chatham needs this
The county is adding a city's worth of people.
Chatham has grown to about 83,000 residents, with the state projecting roughly 90,000 by 2030 and more than 100,000 by 2040.1 Chatham Park alone is approved for up to 22,000 homes and about 60,000 residents, with only about 1,000 people living there so far.2 Almost all of that growth is still ahead of us. The number of kids ages 10 to 17 already grew by about a third in a single decade.3 They are here now, and they need somewhere to play.
And almost nowhere to play indoors.
Chatham County Parks and Recreation co-owns just one gym, shared with an elementary school, and the county has no true recreation center of its own.4 In the county's own 2018 parks survey, residents ranked indoor recreation among the county's top needs: the fourth-highest investment priority overall, and the second-highest unmet need of any facility, with nearly 9,500 households saying theirs was going unmet.4 Today, families drive 30 to 50 minutes, several times a week, to practice and play in other counties.
An investment in the whole county.
A public recreation center does more than give people a place to play. It draws tournaments and visitors who spend at Chatham's restaurants, shops, and hotels, and it keeps local families from taking their weekends, and their dollars, to other counties. As Chatham grows, a center like this helps the local economy grow with it.
For every age, all year round.
This is not a youth sports building. It is a public space for the whole county: youth and adult leagues, open play and drop-in sports, fitness and a walking track, and a safe, supervised place for kids in the hours after school. One roof, every season, open to all.
How we get there
This does not happen overnight, but the path is clear, and the county's neighbors have already walked it. We are asking Chatham County to take the first step: commission a feasibility study to confirm the demand, right-size the building, and map out how to pay for it. Funding for the study would come from the county or from grants, to be determined.
Study it.
The county commissions a feasibility study: how much demand there is, how big the facility should be, what it would cost to build and to run, and how to pay for it.
Plan it together.
Chatham County and the Town of Pittsboro plan it as partners, so it serves the whole community and no one carries it alone.
Fund it.
A funding plan that draws on grants, partnerships, and community support, with any public borrowing put to a vote.
Build it and open it.
Designed, built, and run by Parks and Recreation, open to everyone.
This is not a new idea. Chatham's own 2019 parks master plan already called for a new recreation center, built in partnership with surrounding towns. The county has kept building schools to serve its growth, but public recreation never caught up. We are asking the county to follow through on its own plan.
And the path is proven next door. The Lee County Athletic Park followed exactly this path: a 2015 feasibility study, a voter-approved bond in 2020 that passed with nearly 59 percent, and an opening in 2025.5
Get involved
There are three ways to help, from ten seconds to a few hours. Start with the first today.
1. Add your name
Projects like this move when residents show they want them. County and town commissioners make the decision, and they act on what they hear from the people they represent. A long list of names from across Chatham tells them this is a countywide priority, not a special interest. It takes ten seconds, and it is the single most useful thing you can do right now.
2. Show up and speak
Adding your name matters. Showing up matters more. County and town commissioners hold public meetings where any resident can speak, and a few minutes of public comment from real neighbors is one of the most powerful things that can happen in that room. You do not need to be an expert. You just need to say you live here and you want this. Join the list and we will tell you when a key meeting is coming up, and send a few simple talking points so you know exactly what to say.
3. Help organize
If you want to do more, we would love to hear from you, whether you can give a few hours, lend your expertise, connect us with the right people, or help spread the word. Coaches, parents, business owners, and neighbors all have a role to play.
Who's behind this
Build Chatham Rec was started by Zach Smith, a Chatham County resident, parent, and volleyball coach who has spent the last few years running local Parks and Recreation programs and watching demand outgrow the space to meet it. It is now backed by a growing group of residents who believe the county is ready for a real indoor recreation center. We are not a company or a developer. We are neighbors who want this for our community, and we would be glad to have you with us.
Zach's public comment to the Pittsboro Town Council, September 14, 2026