The city of East Ridge’s renovated tennis courts with added pickleball lines are all set for local racquet sports players, with $25,000 in upgrades now complete.
Located in front of East Ridge High School, the four courts – the only tennis courts owned by the city – hadn’t been worked on in years, said city Parks and Recreation Director Adam Wilson.
“They were just in really bad shape,” he said, giving examples of the deteriorating conditions such as debris on the courts, and trees and vines growing through the surrounding fences. “We wanted to be able to offer tennis and pickleball courts for residents.”
Local interest in pickleball has increased since the city started the East Ridge Seniors Pickleball club in November, going from no participants to the current 38 players, said Wilson. Prior to the renovation, club members played indoors at the East Ridge Community Center.
To get the courts up to speed, Competition Athletic Services was hired to pressure wash the surface, fill cracks that in some instances were up to 3-4 inches deep, and fill dips in the court that were prone to collecting water.