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Commission approves AARP grant application for pickleball court at OBBT trailhead
Summary
The commission authorized staff to apply for an AARP Community Challenge grant to fund a pickleball court at the Ochlockonee Bay Bike Trail (OBBT) trailhead and designated the county administrator as signatory. The grant maximum is $25,000; estimated court cost is $32,000.
The Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize submission of a grant application to the 2025 AARP Community Challenge program seeking funds to build a pickleball court at the Ochlockonee Bay Bike Trail (OBBT) trailhead.
Staff told the commission that AARP’s Community Challenge grants are intended for smaller-scale, shovel-ready projects; the application deadline cited in the presentation was March 5, 2025. The maximum anticipated award for the program is $25,000 and matching funds are not required, but staff said the estimated construction cost for the proposed court is about $32,000. Staff recommended that any difference would be covered by the county’s 1¢ sales tax fund if the grant is awarded.
The board’s vote approved the resolution to apply for the grant and designated the county administrator as the signatory for the application. Staff emphasized that approval to apply does not commit county funds; the county would only commit funds if the grant is awarded and a future appropriation is brought to the board.
Eligible applicants for the AARP program include governmental entities and nonprofit organizations; staff said projects that are shovel-ready will be more competitive. The commission’s approval allows staff to proceed with the application; funding and final construction decisions will follow only if the grant is awarded.
