VALDOSTA – New pickleball courts are officially a part of Valdosta-Lowndes Parks and Recreation’s game plan for McKey Park.

Valdosta City Council approved a SPLOST VIII-funded contract with Quillian Powell Construction Company in the amount of $1,819,400, including a 10% contingency, to build the 12-court pickleball facility on the Burton Street side of the park.

City Manager Mark Barber said Pickleball in Valdosta sent a request to the Valdosta-Lowndes Parks and Recreation Authority to have its own courts due to taping off tennis courts to use as an official pickleball court.

“The addition of pickleball courts will certainly prove beneficial to our local players and will also provide a positive economic impact to our community as tournaments are hosted in Valdosta,” Barber said in his report.

Conceptual plans for the park started last year with initial plans to build on the Roosevelt Drive portion of McKey Park. Neighborhood noise and lighting complaints to the VLPRA, which included a change.org petition, scrapped that idea.

The VLPRA facilities committee reviewed several locations such as Freedom Park, but the committee agreed the ideal location, based upon the proximity to tennis courts, would be McKey Park but on the Burton Street side.

The base bid includes the courts, a new restroom building, a new picnic shelter, making appropriate land preparation for the courts, a parking lot with an Oak Street entrance and landscaping.

The contract does not include the lights, and Council questioned Barber if any infrastructure work could be done to prepare for whenever they could get lights in place.

Barber mentioned that Lowndes County could not afford to participate in the project “at this point in time” and the city could look toward the VLPRA or the pickleball community for help with additional funding. Either way, infrastructure will include lights.

Mayor Pro Tem Vivian Miller-Cody said while she wasn’t opposed to the idea, the county should be able to meet them in the middle for the lights.

Mayor Scott James Matheson said the city will continue funding discussions with the county.

Councilman Tim Carroll also brought up the possibility of closing and reconfiguring Burton Street to allow for additional parking.

Matheson agreed and said council and VLPRA could work with the adjacent Valdosta Middle School on utilizing unused space there.

In a statement to The Valdosta Daily Times, Becky Crosby, Valdosta area Pickleball Ambassadors, said pickleball is a social and friendly game that is growing in popularity and will be a key asset for the city.

“Pickleball has gained popularity because it’s easy to play, low impact and appeals to a wide range of people, from kids to senior citizens. Most people who have played racquet sports learn pickleball easily,” she said.

“Pickleball helps physical health, social health and mental health. Valdosta is slow in building dedicated courts but players have been making do for five years.”

Once the 12 courts are built, Valdosta can really hold tournaments and continue to make an economic impact on our area,” she said.