Macon County commissioners focused on updates to ongoing recreational projects, including pickleball and tennis courts, at their April 8 meeting.
Curtis Grant, owner of Grant Contractors, the land man agement services company overseeing the pickleball project, and Macon County Parks and Recreation Director Seth Adams, addressed commissioners on project status.
“We’re working on updates to provide the best facility for not only pickleball but a social gathering space,” said Grant. “One of things that’s a benefit of pickleball is that it’s more than just a sport people do; it’s a social gathering time.”
Continuing to focus on the social aspect of the design, Grant added, “As we’ve looked at trends, having the gathering spaces in the middle of an artificial turf zone, where people can bring lawn chairs and cornhole boards, and have a variety of shade opportunities made sense.”
When asked by Chairman Josh Young about lighting, Grant stated that “eight courts would be lit.” Additionally, restroom facilities will include four toilets each for women and men. The restroom is smaller than the original proposal that included accommodations for tennis teams’ use. Young replied, “I think this [design update] was a muchneeded improvement from the last one.” Following a motion by Commissioner John Shearl and a second by Commissioner Barry Breeden, the board unanimously approved the presented plan, which will now be fine-tuned by County Manager Warren Cabe and Attorney Eric Ridenour to iron out additional details.
Adams began his update by thanking commissioners for their assistance on the projects.
“I want to thank you for all you are doing for recreation – passing the master plan in 2023; and now we’re finally making strides and seeing it come to fruition. There are changes in the park already occurring and we have a concert May 3.
“We decided while working the plans, to re-do the tennis courts where they are. The high school uses our courts as their game courts and they are ecstatic that not only are they getting new courts but that they will remain in the same location,” Adams added.
Because Franklin High School (FHS) tennis includes both a fall season (women) and spring season (men), the only season left for reconstruction is summer.
Adams’s team released bids to reconstruct the six courts, including new LED lighting installed on the existing poles located around the courts. Bids ranged from a high of $573,114 to a low of $373,200, which was accepted. Adams requested approval for the bid selection in order to have construction start by May, which he said should allow for courts to be ready for the fall FHS tennis season in August.
The company selected for the project was Signature Tennis, out of Atlanta, Ga. Shearl made a motion for approval that included a 10% contingency addition ($37,320) to cover any potential schedule issues to better assure the project would be completed on time. This brought the project total to $410,520. Commissioner Danny Antoine seconded the motion.
An associated budget amendment was also required due to the General Funds addition for the scheduling contingency allotment. Commissioners voted 5-0 to move ahead with the project and budget amendment.
Adams again briefed commissioners on a PARTF grant process needing county approval for the application to move forward. The North Carolina Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant is state supported and is for recreational improvements, through either facilities or purchase of land. Macon County has received four grants over the years – one each for Wesley’s playground, Greenway improvements, Buck Creek Park, and Parker Meadows.
“We came up with four plans to distribute any potential PARTF grant monies, which is a dollar-for-dollar match, up to $500,000,” explained Adams. “We decided on a walking bridge that connects the parking lot at the area known as the “Biddy Field,” to the new pickleball facility, with a price tag of $300,000; an amphitheater, with a price tag of $350,000; a multi-use, covered court area, which includes enlarging the current basketball court, at a cost of $450,000; and the bathroom/locker room facilities that we took from the former recreation plan for a combined pickleball and tennis court development project. That is included also at a price tag of $300,000.”
Adams went on to define the total request coming in at $1.4 million and assert that his team felt an adequate grant application needed to include various items rather than just one project. If the PARTF grant is received at $500,000, the county would be responsible for the remaining funding over $1 million. Once funds are received, a three-year window is allowed for execution of monies.
Upon conclusion of Adams’s presentation, Antoine made a motion to approve moving forward with the application process, which was seconded by Shearl and unanimously approved by the board. The application must be submitted by May 1 and awarding of funding should be received by the end of August, if approved.