One of the country’s most popular and fastest growing sports will be coming to Creekside Park this summer.
A total of six new pickleball courts are planned for the park, according to Billy Wilkes, Craven County parks and recreation director. Construction of the courts began in June and a completion date is set for the end of this month or early August.
At their July 5 meeting, the Craven County Board of Commissioners approved a budget amendment for fiscal year 2024 in the amount of $180,000 to allow for the completion of the pickleball courts at Creekside Park.
The money was approved during the last fiscal year but due to delays in finding a contractor a new budget amendment was necessary. Commissioners have approved $150,000 for the project from the county’s capital reserve fund. The parks and recreation department was also awarded a Harold Bate Foundation grant in the amount of $30,000 to be utilized in the construction and development of the courts.
The project received some pushback from Commissioner Thomas Mark, who was the lone no vote on the budget amendment request. Mark questioned Wilkes on why Creekside was the only county park receiving the pickleball courts.
Wilkes responded that Creekside had been the first local park to make the request.
“Certainly in the future I’d be open to direction to do that,” Wilkes said. “But right now the six that are going to be put in place are going to be at Creekside Park.”
Wilkes noted that parks and recreation will also be working on several projects at West Craven Park over the current fiscal year, including a beach volleyball court and a playground project.
Pickleball could be described as a mashup of badminton, tennis and ping-pong. The sport is played with a flat paddle that is used to hit a plastic, perforated ball similar to a wiffle ball over a net hung at a height of 34 inches.
Court sizes are normally around 44 feet long and 20 feet wide.
Pickleball now has 4.8 million participants nationwide and a 39.3% growth rate over the last two years, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association 2022 Sports, Fitness and Leisure Activities Topline Participation Report.
New Bern resident Thomas Pittman told commissioners he would also like to see a practice wall set up to allow those new to pickleball to develop the skills necessary to play the game safely.
“It can be a very fast game,” Pittman said.
By Todd Wetherington, co-editor. Send an email with questions or comments.