Council advances fee schedule and reservation plan for resurfaced courts; locking system and reservations outlined

Tega Cay council on Jan. 21 advanced a budget amendment on first reading to set fees for reservable courts that will result from the planned resurfacing and conversion of two courts into pickleball courts.

Dustin, Parks and Recreation staff, described a two-tier model: some courts will remain public, first-come, first-served and four courts will be divided so two are reservable behind a lock and two remain open. Reservation users will access reservable courts via a code issued at the time of reservation; the lock will be tied to the maintenance building Wi‑Fi. Staff said the reservation software (CourtReserve or similar service) will allow users to book by daily or annual reservation; annual passholders gain cost savings and earlier booking windows, while daily users will pay the posted hourly fee.

Council clarified that membership dues collected by any private pickleball association would be separate from city reservations and that residency discounts will apply to fee tiers. “There is a massive cost savings if you do the yearly versus just doing the hour-and-a-half reservation,” Dustin said. Staff expects to coordinate the reservation system activation to coincide with the court renovation in spring (project timing discussed as April or May). City staff will implement a locking mechanism and reservation system, post fee schedules and administer bookings from Parks & Recreation.

The ordinance amending the FY 2024–25 budget to include the fee schedule passed first reading and will return for a second reading after staff finalizes implementation details.