Council to Discuss Contract for Pickleball Courts at Deegan and Hinkle Lakes at Monday's Meeting
By Chris Johnson on February 23, 2024
The rise in popularity for pickleball has been felt nation wide and steps are being made to provide Bridgeport residents with a new venue to play the sport.
The agenda for Monday’s City Council meeting includes a potential contract with Thrasher Engineering for pickleball courts near Deegan and Hinkle Lakes.
“There is a large pickleball group that has been playing at The Bridge and around the country,” Bridgeport Parks and Recreation Director Joe Shuttleworth said. “It’s the fastest growing sport in the United State. We’ve been looking for some ideas on how to add something to our parks system here.
“Through the master plan we recently completed for the redesign for the civic center area, we are looking at the area out by the lakes. We have a grassy area between the lakes and we are looking to putting some pickleball courts out there.”
The contract to be discussed at the meeting is a supplement to the existing contract with Thrasher and it contains the actual documents for the construction of the courts themselves.
“This will be our first outdoor pickleball courts,” Shuttleworth said. “They would be a welcomed addition to the park system and meet the needs that the community has.”
Shuttleworth added that the courts will be pickleball only. Some courts are designed to support pickleball and tennis but they end up creating line confusion.
Pickleball courts won’t be the only parks and recreation-related issue discussed at the meeting.
There are two revisions on the new business portion of the agenda, one for the general fund budget and one for the capital escrow fund.
Shuttleworth said the budget amendment includes projects that would see the tennis courts at the lake get resurfaced, the basketball court at the City Park resurfaced and a brand new basketball court at Compton Park.
Police Chief and Interim City Manager Mark Rogers said both the general fund budget revision and the capital escrow fund revision consist of basically house-cleaning measures and doesn’t expect there to be any issue with any of the items.
The only other new business items are reappointments to the Zoning Appeals Board.
Richard Forren and Meredith McCarthy are up for a reappointment of three years from Feb. 1 through Jan. 31, 2027.
Sam Spatafore is up for reappointment for one year from Feb. 1 through Jan. 31, 2025.
Rogers will provide a City Manager’s report at Monday’s meeting and Andy Lang will provide a Mayor’s report.
As of Thursday, there are no awards, presentations, unfinished business or work sessions are scheduled.
As always, there will be a period set aside for public comment and Council wishes for any citizen with a concern to attend and speak.
The 7 p.m. meeting will start with an invocation by Rev. George Bramble from Bridgeport United Methodist Church, which will be followed by The Pledge of Allegiance.
Editor's Note: Top photo of Shuttelworth and bottom photo of Rogers both from a previous Council meeting.
