abandoned county-owned four-court tennis complex that
was both unsightly and non-functional (with multiple cracks,
weeds, rusted fencing, and mold and mildew covering the court
surface).
The original plan was to clean up the courts, repair the cracks
and paint the surface. The pickleball group formed a work party
and did the cleanup and were preparing to fill in all the cracks
when the county, in a desire to help, filled all the cracks with
road tar. Unfortunately, this rendered the courts unusable due
to the soft nature of tar and the fact that paint won’t adhere to
tar.
The complex sat for several months in that condition. In
the meantime, the pickleball group received permission to
revamp two abandoned tennis courts at the Georgia Mountain
Fairgrounds and play there for over a year on four makeshift
courts, even though the surface was quite rough and uneven.
Eventually the commissioner, who remained impressed with
the group’s dedication, enthusiasm, and still growing numbers,
entered into negotiations with Signature Tennis Courts,
Inc. out of Woodstock, Georgia. With the county’s help with
some of the materials, grading, and equipment, they would
completely resurface the complex with 6"-8" of compacted
gravel, 2"-3" of asphalt, and a sealer coat followed by two coats
of paint, court lines and permanent nets. The project was
completed in September, 2015, just two days before the first
regional tournament.
The Towns County Pickleball Complex is now a dedicated
14-court state-of-the-art facility situated on Lake Chatuge with
BEFORE
AFTER
beautiful mountain views as a backdrop. A paved parking area,
windscreens, several benches and awnings for shade have since
been added. The total cost for this renovation to date has been
just under $100,000.
Future plans include the addition of a covered pavilion,
restrooms and lights.
Since opening, several tournaments for charities have been
staged and the group just completed its first major one this
past May that exceeded all expectations. It is estimated that the
economic impact to the community for this tournament was
over $400,000.
The first sanctioned tournament, the Georgia Mountain
Pickleball Fall Classic, will be held September 16-18. Look for it
on PickleballTournaments.com.
The goal is to make the county a pickleball destination
whereby visitors can come and experience the beauty of the
area and play pickleball at this beautiful complex. There are
several wineries in the area, which is rich in bed and breakfasts,
cabins and cottages, hotels, motels and resorts, as well as
several four- and five-star restaurants. The area has three TVA
lakes: Chatuge, Nottely, and Hiawassee. Thirty minutes away is
the German Village Town of Helen and there’s Brasstown Bald,
the tallest peak in Georgia, and over 10 beautiful waterfalls.
There are dozens of hiking trails and the Appalachian Trail
passes through Towns County.
For campers, there are several large RV resort centers in the
area, including one adjacent to the Towns County Pickleball
Complex. Brasstown Valley Resort and Spa is a world-class
resort with a long list of amenities including a championship
golf course.
For a fun-filled sightseeing, camping, hiking, horseback
riding, fishing, water skiing vacation combined with playing
pickleball, this part of the Blue Ridge Mountains should be on
everyone’s “bucket list” of things to do.
John Hall, USAPA Ambassador in Hiawassee, GA, is retired
and a former lead engineer for the Space Shuttle program. He’s
also the creator and organizer of the largest satellite eggfest in
the country, the Georgia Mountain Big Green Eggfest. John’s
next goal is to make Hiawassee a real pickleball destination for
players all across the country. •
JULY/AUGUST 2016 |
MAGAZINE
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