By Michael Butler

Tallassee mayor Joey Wiginton announced at Monday’s city council meeting that three pickleball courts would be created at the existing tennis courts in East Tallassee.

Currently, there are two tennis courts at the location near the youth baseball fields. One tennis court will be retained and upgraded, while the other will be converted for pickleball.

“We will take down the entire fence and repave the surface,” Wiginton said. “We’ll have a fence in between the tennis court and pickleball courts. We’ll redo all the fencing again. It will look brand new.”

The council approved reallocating $46,730 in the budget for the job. Wiginton expects the work to be finished in October.

According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, pickleball has been the fastest growing sport for the past four years. It is estimated that more than 24 million play the sport in America.

Other cities have jumped on board with pickleball facilities. In Millbrook, 17 Springs has 12 pickleball courts. Earlier this week, Wetumpka unveiled eight new courts.

“Pickleball is such a growing sport,” said Eric Phillips, director of Tallassee Parks and Recreation. “We had a big following at the rec center. Now, everybody is driving 30 to 40 minutes to play.”

The new recreation center construction is a 16-month project expected to be completed in the fall of 2027. It will include multi-purpose courts to accommodate pickleball.

Tallassee’s existing courts are lighted with an automatic timer that shuts off at approximately 10 each night.