The Milledgeville Pickleball Club (MPC), a local non-profit LLC, voted at a board meeting recently to raise $80,000 for improvements to the pickleball and tennis courts at the Walter B. Williams Recreational Complex. The cost to resurface all the courts and replace nets has been estimated at $160,000, and that organization is hopeful the county will match their funds.
“On Aug. 24, the MPC had a called meeting at the Baldwin County recreational courts to discuss and vote to raise $80,000 to resurface the eight courts,” MPC President Don Smith said last week. “The club members unanimously approved the campaign.”
Currently, there are eight courts dedicated to pickleball play only, and it is obvious those are in need of repair. Cracks continue to grow at a rapid rate, and one is almost unplayable.
Smith said the biggest motivator behind the project is safety, especially considering the high capacity of people using the courts.
“The courts will not be safe to play or enjoyable to play much longer. We have nightly tripping incidents caused by the cracks, and they are expanding rapidly,” he said. “The need is definitely there.”
“The existing courts are at capacity most evenings. Now that the college students are back, they are playing every night,” Smith said. “The club painted court lines for four temporary nets (on tennis courts). These are now used regularly for overflow.”
According to Smith, there has been some limited discussion with County Manager Carlos Tobar and the MPC board about county matching funds and the specifics of the courts' renovation project.
County Commission Chairperson Emily Davis met with some of the players and club members last Friday and acknowledged the condition of the courts.
“They need some work,” she commented. “Both the tennis courts and pickleball courts need work.”
Smith concurred. “There are four tennis courts now with no lighting. The tennis courts are in bad shape with large cracks and grass growing through the pavement,” he said. “There are never more than one or two courts with players, and they are rarely used.”
District 2 Commissioner Kendrick Butts and District 3 Commissioner Sammy Hall all stressed that neither the courts nor the club’s fund-raising efforts have been discussed at a board meeting.
“It has not been discussed with me or the board yet,” Butts said last week. “I did get a couple of text messages and calls from people concerning the tennis courts.”
Hall said he had heard of the fundraising efforts, but that was it.
“I’m aware that they’re trying to raise money for the pickleball courts, but I have not been part of any discussions where we have even discussed matching it,” he said.
Butts and Hall both said a partnership could work.
“Anytime I can bring a private entity in and save the taxpayers money, I think we have to seriously look at it,” Butts said. “If these people can generate $80,000 to save the taxpayers money, we ought to be praising them and bring some more projects for them. I have no problem with that.”
Hall tentatively agreed. “I would expect we probably would try to do that,” he said. “If someone is going to give you $80,000, why wouldn’t we help out? But,” he added, “I can’t say we would. I haven’t had any discussion with anyone personally.”
Hall also said the county recreation department has a budget that can be looked at and that department heads, as well as Tobar, have some flexibility in the spending of the funds.
Davis implied Friday there has been at least some talk.
“We’re still discussing that here in the office,” she said. “We haven’t made any decisions on that yet.”
The chairperson added the county attorney would need to be involved and legal documents would need to be drawn up for the two parties to work together.
Smith said Tuesday afternoon that close to 40 percent of the $80,000 has been pledged or received, including donations from several businesses, such as T-Bones Nursery and Exchange Investments, who contributed $2,500 Monday.
The Board of Commissioners will be meeting on Sept. 15, but as of Tuesday, the courts were not an agenda item. Tobar said a meeting was set for Oct. 3 to discuss the matter.