FORT SMITH — Sebastian County will try to get money from the state to build more pickleball courts for participants to enjoy.

Sebastian County’s Quorum Court unanimously approved at its meeting Tuesday authorizing County Judge Steve Hotz to apply for an outdoor recreation matching grant from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.

The grant will go to building 16 pickleball courts at Ben Geren Park in Fort Smith, as well as a sidewalk to a pavilion compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the resolution.

Hotz said the county would apply for the maximum amount of $500,000. This includes the 50% match the county will need to provide if it gets the grant, or $250,000. The county could cover this with its general fund, although it may consider other options, according to Hotz.

The Quorum Court approved spending $558,013 from the county general fund to build eight pickleball courts at Ben Geren Park at its meeting Dec. 20.

Hotz said residents who requested the Quorum Court approve money for pickleball courts hoped the county would build 16. The Van Buren-based firm Hawkins-Weir Engineers determined the project area — a go-cart track site at Ben Geren Park defunct since 2019 — has enough space for that many courts.

Terry Bogner, chairman of the Western Arkansas Pickleball Advocates, said Wednesday although 16 courts is ideally what his local volunteer organization would have loved to have had, his group didn’t make any formal requests for that many to the county.

The advocates group is able to use eight courts at the Chaffee Crossing Pickleball Complex in Fort Smith.

Bogner said the complex fills very quickly with almost any event or special time of day. Sixteen courts will facilitate pickleball tournaments better than eight courts, according to Bogner.

Rob Ratley, another member of the group, said Wednesday the planned expansion to 16 courts — provided Sebastian County secures the intended matching grant — is a move in the right direction. He claimed pickleball is continuing to grow significantly without showing any signs of a plateau or decline.

“We’re real excited about the eight courts, and if it ends up doubling to 16 as a result of a potential grant application, then that’s for the better,” Ratley said.

Jay Randolph, county park administrator and golf course superintendent, wrote in a memo included in the material for Dec. 20’s Quorum Court meeting the eight new pickleball courts will add another recreation option to Ben Geren Park, particularly for seniors. Seniors can currently play golf, tennis, bike and hike there.

Randolph has noted the county has received numerous requests to build pickleball courts at the park over the past three years.

“The sport of pickleball is a mash-up of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong,” Randolph wrote. “It’s competitive, yet highly social, provides a great workout and can be picked up quickly by most anyone, anywhere. Most of pickleball’s core players, those who play more than eight times per year, are over age 65, but the game is getting younger, with the strongest growth among players under 55, according to USA Pickleball.”

The Sports and Fitness Industry Association’s Topline Participation Report for 2022 named pickleball as the fastest-growing sport in the country, according to Randolph. It reportedly grew by 39% over the last two years to encompass more than 4.8 million participants.

Randolph has said a quote from the Houston-headquartered contractor Trans Texas Tennis Ltd. put the cost of building eight pickleball courts at $413,494, including taxes. Randolph also requested $138,519 to outfit the courts with Musco LED lighting and $6,000 to upgrade a building at the site, bringing the total estimated cost for the project to $558,013.

Hotz said the eight pickleball courts the county would build with the matching grant money would be ADA-compliant, meaning they could accommodate people with disabilities. They will be more expensive to build than the regular pickleball courts, although Hotz expressed hope the county will save money by building all 16 courts at the same time.

Ratley said having eight of the planned pickleball courts being ADA-compliant is an “excellent move” by the county.

“Pickleball itself is a very inclusive sport,” Ratley said. “It appeals to a large demographic, and it’s even nicer when it appeals to individuals that have certain physical limitations, such as being in wheelchairs or other physical limitations.”

    Liza Holman plays a backhand during a doubles match, Friday, June 23, 2023, at the Chaffee Crossing Pickleball Complex in Barling. At a meeting this week, the Sebastian County Quorum Court unanimously approved a resolution authorizing County Judge Steve Hotz to apply for an outdoor recreation matching grant from the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism to go toward building 16 pickleball courts at Ben Geren Park in Fort Smith, as well as a sidewalk to a pavilion near the planned courts thats compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, according to the resolution. Visit nwaonline.com/photo for today’s photo gallery. (River Valley Democrat-Gazette/Hank Layton)