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Board rejects proposal to convert Duncan Park tennis courts to pickleball after extended debate
Summary
A contentious April 28 debate over a plan to convert three tennis courts at Duncan Park into 10 pickleball courts ended with the board declining to proceed. Supporters cited growth in pickleball and a cost-sharing pledge; opponents warned of reduced tennis capacity and called for more stakeholder input.
The Mayor and Board of Aldermen of Natchez City considered a multi-phase parks plan on April 28 that would have converted three tennis courts at Duncan Park into 10 dedicated pickleball courts and resurfaced additional courts across the system. Parks Director Ryan Porter presented condition photos and vendor quotes, and staff recommended a phased approach to repair severe cracks and add pickleball capacity.
Mayor (speaker 1) urged the board to move forward, saying resurfacing and the pickleball conversion would address long-standing court conditions. He also said a regional Pickleball Association had pledged to pay half the resurfacing cost and help raise the remaining funds. "The Pickleball Association is offering, paying 0.5 of the cost of resurfacing these courts," the mayor told the board.
Opponents, including Alderman Hall (speaker 4), argued the conversion would reduce tennis capacity for sanctioned events. Hall said the community contains organized tennis programs that rely on court counts and tournament standards, noting concerns about the city’s ability to host high-school or sanctioned events if tennis capacity were reduced. "We have more tennis... We cannot hold tournaments here because no one is going to play on non-sanctioned courts," Hall said during the debate.
Several aldermen and community members urged broader stakeholder engagement—coaches, tournament organizers, and both tennis and pickleball users—before deciding. Supporters said the proposal was a compromise that would leave nine full tennis courts citywide (after accounting for other improvements) and add a substantial number of dedicated pickleball courts for a growing user base. Alderman Maroney (speaker 13) called the proposal a reasonable compromise that would serve both groups.
After extended discussion and a roll-call vote, the motion to proceed with the conversion/resurfacing proposal did not pass. The meeting record shows a divided vote following the debate and the chair closed the item without adopting the conversion plan.
Next steps: staff and the parks director said they will continue to pursue resurfacing and repair options, pursue grant opportunities (including from USTA or national organizations), and consider further stakeholder meetings to build consensus.
