Sikeston set to get six outdoor pickleball courts

SIKESTON, Mo. — Sikeston will soon be getting new outdoor pickleball courts.

Early last week, the Sikeston City Council approved turning two tennis courts at the Sikeston Recreation Complex into six pickleball courts.

Pickleball is a sport combining the elements of tennis, badminton and ping pong and has been gaining interest in the community in recent years.

"When I was in Kansas City, it was extremely popular," said Dustin Care, director of Sikeston Parks and Recreation. "When I came here, nobody really knew what it was. In 2018, we integrated it in our corporate games event and that drummed up some interest, and now we have some pickleball advocates in the community that travel around to Cape and Anna, Illinois. We're looking to provide all these people to come to Sikeston and play."

In February 2021, Sikeston Parks and Recreation applied for a Land and Water Conservation Fund grant to add two newly constructed pickleball courts at the Recreation Complex. The cost of the grant-funded project was $150,000 and the city budgeted $30,000 for its part of the match funding.

Sikeston was not awarded the grant, but the need for the pickleball courts was growing.

Care said in July one of the tennis courts at the complex was repainted and converted into a pickleball court.

"It's been a big hit," Care said. "Then they were wanting two courts and we had the net adjusters but that still wasn't enough to meet the needs of the community."

While exploring options, Parks and Recreation did a public survey in which 128 of 140 people who responded were in favor of converting the south tennis courts at the complex into six permanent pickleball courts.

Care said the early projected estimate on the cost is $25,000 and the city could use the $30,000 budgeted for the grant Sikeston was not awarded.

Sikeston Mayor Greg Turnbow said having the courts could be beneficial to the community.

"I talk to a lot of people and I think we have the opportunity to do tournaments if we had six pickleball courts," Turnbow said. "There's a lot of towns bringing in revenue by having these tournaments. Of course, ours would be outdoors so we would be dependent on the weather but it's really hot right now."

Currently the only place to play in Sikeston, beside the one outside court at the complex, is at the YMCA, which has inside courts.

"I used to play tennis when I was younger but it's too strenuous now," Turnbow said. "Pickleball, it's still strenuous but it's not as bad as tennis, in my opinion."

The council unanimously approved Parks and Recreation to solicit bids to add the courts at the complex.