BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Telegraph Staff Writer
KEYSTONE HEIGHTS— Clay County Commissioners held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for six new pickleball courts at Twin Lakes Park east of Keystone Heights.
The Thursday, April 27 event also featured a match between County Commissioner Betsy Condon and County Manager Howard Wanamaker.
The county said in an email that with the addition of eight more pickleball courts opening this week at the W.E. Varnes Park in Orange Park, the county will have christened 14 such facilities recently.
“The county has seen a growing interest in pickleball, so Parks and Recreation spearheaded a project to rebuild two tennis complexes into pickleball complexes at Twin Lakes Park and at W.E. Varnes Park,” the county said. “The renovations, funded through grants, cost $159,022 at Twin Lakes Park and $174,422 at W.E. Varnes Park. Construction on these projects began in January and finished on April 7.”
The City of Keystone Heights also converted a tennis facility into pickleball at Sunrise Park last year.
The county said it now has a total of three dedicated pickleball complexes. The first was built at Ronnie Van Zant Park in Lake Asbury, with six courts.
“Augusta Savage Park in Green Cove Springs will soon be the site of six more dedicated pickleball courts,” officials said, “which are currently in the design process. The projected completion date for this construction is between the summer and fall of 2023.”
