City Commission approves KAYS' "pickle ball" plan
With fund-raising completed for the construction of a pickle ball court and ice skating rink at Holton’s Rafters Park, the Holton City Commission on Monday approved a plan as submitted by representatives of Holton Middle School’s Kansas Association for Youth (KAY) chapter to get construction started in the near future.
Commissioners voted unanimously to allow the chapter to get started on plans to build the pickle ball court, which Holton City Manager Kerwin McKee said would involve Holton city employees in “pouring the concrete and preparing the site.”
When completed, the pickle ball court will be the second major addition to a Holton city park that stemmed from the KAY chapter’s plans. The first was a concrete walking path at Countryside Park that began to take shape in 2018 and is widely used today by area residents.
Chapter sponsor Erika Allen said the estimated cost of the pickle ball court and necessary accessories totaled $10,776, and that amount has been raised through donations, fund-raising activities and a “Be The Spark” grant from a partnership between the Kansas Association for Youth Alumni Network and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas.
“Holton Parks and Recreation has said it would get started on it as soon as possible,” Allen said Tuesday. “The only hold-up is that we cannot get the outdoor posts due to supply chain issues and companies being sold out.”
Pickleball, according to Allen, is “the fastest growing sport in the U.S.” and commissioner Marilyn Watkins likened the sport to “playing ping pong on a tennis court.” Holton Parks and Recreation Director Mike Reichle said that some pickle ball courts have been set up at the tennis court at Linscott Park for those who want to play.
Chapter members had originally approached commissioners this past April about setting up a pickle ball court at Rafters Park, and commissioners offered their support in the chapter’s efforts to obtain a “Be The Spark” grant to help cover the costs of setting up the court.
For more on this and other stories, please log in to your holtonrecorder.net account and select “Nov. 23, 2022” under the “E-Editions” tab.
