Unstable weather over the last few weeks has delayed construction on the new pickleball courts at Cane Creek Park in Cookeville.
Cookeville Leisure Services Director Rick Woods said the court’s pad has been unable to dry due to recent rainfall. Woods said the pad needs to dry before the courts are surfaced, which will come after an extended period of dry weather.
“It needs to be packed again,” Woods said. “It needs to be re-graded a little bit, and we can’t do that when it’s wet. It’s not sturdy enough at this point to sustain a good layer of rock and asphalt or concrete on top of it.”
Work continues on the eight new courts, but the Woods said he thinks the project may not be finished until July.
“It’s going to be a couple of weeks before we can mobilize after we get it dried and prepared and ready to go,” Woods said. “It’ll be another couple of weeks before we can mobilize. We have to reschedule all of the crews coming in to do the finish work, so I can’t give a precise time or a precise date.”
Woods said there are a few more things to install at the courts once surfacing is complete.
“We have sidewalks in place, we have structures in place, and we have tables and chairs and things to go in,” Woods said. “But primarily, it is putting down the surface, installing the nets, getting the lights up, getting the fences up, and getting the benches in place and we’ll be ready to go.”
Increased demand for pickleball courts in Cookeville made them a higher priority in the city’s master plan, with funds coming from the Hotel/Motel tax.
Woods said the Cane Creek courts will be the first dedicated space for pickleball in the Cookeville city park system. The Cane Creek pickleball courts will be located in the fields next to the recreation center and gymnasium, and will have enough space for adaptive pickleball.
