Tift Park Pickleball Courts Project: The Albany City Commission has approved funding to design new pickleball courts and a dog park at Tift Park, moving forward with a long-discussed project. During a Tuesday evening meeting, commissioners voted unanimously to hire WSP, a Kennesaw-based company, for a $131,850 design contract.
Project Details
The plan calls for four pickleball courts, a dog park, restrooms, and a parking lot. Albany City Manager Terrell Jacobs said the project is the first phase of improvements for Tift Park.
“We’re going to get the design, and once we get the design completed, we’re going to be bidding it out (for construction),” (Terrell Jacobs).
He estimated the project could be finished in about a year or less once construction begins.
Background and Planning
City officials have been searching for a pickleball site for years. A proposed joint tennis and pickleball complex with Dougherty County never moved forward. Initially, the city considered resurfacing the old tennis courts to create one tennis court and 12 pickleball courts, but the $164,000 cost for a temporary fix was rejected.
“That would have been throwing bad money after good,” (Terrell Jacobs).
Pickleball’s Growing Popularity
Pickleball and tennis became more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic as people turned to sports that allowed social distancing. According to USA Pickleball, 18,455 courts were added nationwide in 2024 alone. The Tift Park tennis courts, abandoned about 15 years ago, will now be repurposed to meet the growing demand for pickleball.
Additional Downtown Improvements
In the same meeting, commissioners approved $500,000 for sidewalk and streetscape upgrades in the Sandy Bottom District, including North Washington Street near the St. Nicholas Hotel, which is under renovation. Project Manager Joseph Threadcraft said the downtown work is part of a larger $5.7 million budget for streetscape improvements.
Next Steps
Funding for the Tift Park design will come from special-purpose local-option sales tax dollars. Once the design is complete, the city will seek construction bids, beginning a process that could give Albany residents new recreational spaces by next year.
News in Brief: Tift Park Pickleball Courts Project
The Albany City Commission approved $131,850 for the design of four pickleball courts, a dog park, restrooms, and parking at Tift Park. City Manager Terrell Jacobs expects construction to start after bidding and be completed within a year. Commissioners also allocated $500,000 for downtown sidewalk and streetscape upgrades.