Newspaper Page Text
Page 2A
iEeporter
June 8, 2022
Forsyth OKs new pickleball courts at city park
By Diane Glidewell
news'-mymcr.net
Forsyths city council
unanimously agreed on
Monday to build at least
8 pickleball courts for an
estimated $260,000 at the
city park to accommodate
the growing sport.
Council will ask TRW,
the company that designed
master plans for the city’s
five parks, to incorporate at
least 8 pickleball courts into
the plan. The city has said
that it will begin implement
ing plans to enhance and
expand the parks in the next
year.
Martin Presley, who
co-chaired the pickleball
committee with Cheryl
Treadwell, made a presenta
tion to city council on June
6. He brought 10 pickleball
players and supporters along
with him to show local
interest in the game. He said
that in 2016 then-director
of the Monroe County Rec
reation Department Keith
Edge ordered three nets to
convert basketball courts
at the Youth Center into
pickleball courts.
Presley said these nets
have been in use since then
and that those in attendance
and others now play at the
Recreation Department on
weekday mornings when
the courts aren’t needed for
basketball or other youth
activities.
“It’s a great social event,”
said Presley.
He said that in 2005 the
USA Pickleball Association
became the national govern
ing body for the sport, and
it has continued to grow in
popularity and participation
since then. Giving an over
view of facilities in neigh
boring counties, Presley said
that Griffin-Spalding has
a complex with 22 pickle
ball courts, including four
covered courts. The complex
has restrooms and conces
sion areas to compliment
the courts. Presley said the
Griffin-Spalding complex
hosted a national tourna
ment last year.
Macon began converting
tennis courts to pickleball
courts several years ago.
Now almost all former ten
nis courts at some facilities
in Macon-Bibb have become
pickleball courts. There are
26 pickleball courts at the
Tattnall Center alone. Pre
sley said the Macon Pickle
ball Association distributes a
Friday newsletter and in one
of its February newsletters
commented on how at one
location with 17 courts not
only were all courts full on
one Tuesday, but there were
several players waiting for
courts to become available.
Renovation of the former
Belk Department Store in
Macon Mall includes 16
pickleball courts on each of
the two levels for a total of
32 courts. There are shop
ping options near the courts.
Presley said that Monroe
Countian Joe McDaniel,
“The Godfather of Pickleball
in Central Georgia,” says
there are over 100 pickleball
courts in Macon-Bibb. He
said McDaniel would have
attended the presentation to
the Forsyth city council but
he was in Birmingham de
fending his indoor pickleball
championship status.
Presley reported that New
man has lighted pickleball
courts. Opelika, Ala. has two
12-court facilities that are
covered by canopies and is
scheduled to host a national
tournament. Naples, Fla.
boasts 64 pickleball courts.
“Pickleball is great for all
ages and puts smiles on our
faces,” said Presley.
He presented a budget
recommendation to council
for constructing pickleball
courts and said the com
mittee recommends using
part of the area currently
designated for soccer fields
next to the Forsyth City Park
on Country Club Drive. He
said the city can build eight
courts first and leave the
adjacent area available for
building more courts later.
The budget estimates
provided by the committee
were $260,000 to build eight
courts with a minimum
playing area for four courts
of72’x 128’ and $520,000
to build 16 courts. Add
Monroe County residents play pickleball at the rec department. The city of Forsyth has
committed to building 8 courts at the city park. (Photo courtesy Joe McDaniel)
ing fabric sun shading and
picnic tables to eight courts
would add $6,000 and add
ing LED lighting would add
another $48,000 for a total
of $314,000. Adding the
same amenities to 16 courts
would increase the total to
$634,000.
Other possible options
would be restrooms and a
septic system ($70,000) and
an arena-style metal roof
over four courts ($360,000).
Associated costs would be
a civil engineering plan
and state and local permits,
grading/site prep, surface
water management and
utility service. Some cost
in these areas might be
reduced by the city doing
work in-house.
“This is an opportunity
for us to build a class-act
court. It will serve people of
all age groups,” said council
member Julius Stroud. “It’s a
jam up opportunity to build
the full 16. This falls in line
with our park plan.”
Council member Greg
Goolsby said council should
ask TRW to incorporate
pickleball courts into the
city’s park plan since the de
sign company is the expert
on park planning and mak
ing things fit together.”
Presley said that from
researching the cost of
building pickleball courts,
he found there is some sav
ings in building more courts
at the same time instead of
building them in phases.
Wilson said that in the
interest of research he
joined some members of the
pickleball committee to play
the game at Monroe County
Recreation Department. He
noted that pickleball courts
are smaller than basketball
or tennis courts.
What the heck is pickleball?
By Park Davis
davispark34@gmail.com
Monroe County is build
ing pickleball courts due to
its fast growing popularity
in America. According to
the 2022 Sports & Fitness
Industry Association, pickle
ball grew to almost 5 million
players in 2021 in America,
and it’s had an 11.5% growth
rate in players over the past
five years, making it the
fastest growing sport in the
nation.
Many ask why pickleball is
named “pickelball.” Accord
ing to onixpickleball.com,
there are two accounts on
why it’s called “pickleball.”
The first account is that Joel
Pritchard, the founder of
pickleball “started calling
the game pickleball because
the combination of different
sports reminded her of the
pickle boat in crew where
oarsmen were chosen from
the leftovers of the other
boats.” The second account
is that “pickleball was named
after Pritchard’s dog Pickles,
who would chase the ball
and run with it. Some
believe Pickles was named
after the game because he
didn’t join the family until
a couple of years after the
game was created.”
According to pickleballex-
perts.com, “Pickleball is best
described as a combination
of badminton, ping-pong
and tennis. You can play
indoors or outdoors on a
badminton-sized court with
a net similar to a tennis net.
Players use a paddle that is
reminiscent of ping-pong
paddles, but is bigger and
usually made of more
advanced materials. The
ball used is very similar to
a plastic whiffle ball with
holes covering the surface.
Pickleball can be played as
singles or doubles, just like
tennis.” Score is stated by the
server in the order of: win
ning team - server number
- losing team (4,1,3).
Monroe County’s Joe Mc
Daniel, who was inducted
into the Macon Sports Hall
of Fame this year for being
a pickleball promoter, says
the growth is happening
because “Anyone of any
age can pick up the game
in 10 minutes even if they
have never played it be
fore. There’s nothing about
pickleball that I don’t enjoy. I
get fitness in when I’m play
ing, social time when other
players and I are waiting to
play, and I just have fun all
around.” McDaniel also says
that “Middle Georgia has
become the pickleball capital
in Georgia, and I encourage
Monroe County to keep that
going.”
Currently, the only place
in Monroe County where
pickle ball can be played is
in the Recreation Depart
ment gym, but players will
soon be moved out due to
summer camps. With the
growing demand of pickle
ball courts due to the rising
popularity of pickleball, the
recreation department is
having to put in new tennis/
pickleball courts to give
players a place to play. Ac
cording to the administra
tive team at the recreation
department, these new
courts will be a huge hit.
Pickleball has also been
trending in the younger
community while usually
the majority of players are
older. Monroe County’s
Lauren Casey started a
Pickleball Club for FPD,
and she had more than 100
other students join to come
out and play. City council
appeared to agree that there’s
a demand for pickle ball
courts when they approved
the construction of 8 new
courts at the city park on
Monday.
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