Pickleball players volley and serve up the ball during a match at Young’s Creek Park on Thursday. Jayden Kennett | Daily Journal
Franklin pickleball players will soon see the light … on courts in Youngs Creek Park.
The Franklin Mayor’s Youth Leadership Council is planning an approximately $150,000 project to put lights on the pickleball courts on Monroe Street in Franklin. The lights will be trained on the court to not shine into other houses and nearby buildings.
The council is hosting a pickleball tournament starting at 1 p.m. Sunday to raise money for the project.
Marnie Moore, youth leadership council president, said it will take “a lot of fundraising” alongside applying for grants and seeing where the city can support them. To cut costs, Tara Payne, Franklin’s chief of staff and sponsor of the youth leadership council, has been in contact with an electrician willing to donate his work for the project.
The tournament has a $30 per pair entrance fee with two age divisions. The tournament is free to watch for spectators, Moore said.
“It’s not going to get us $150,000 but it’s just hopefully to show that we’re putting in effort and trying to raise awareness of the project that we’re doing,” she said.
The council chose to focus on pickleball for their project because the sport has grown in popularity. Moore said at least 10 people on the youth council recommended the idea during a brainstorming session on their annual project.
“I think we’ve all seen how pickleball has kind of blown up and it’s just great how it’s gotten all ages of the community to come out and play together,” Moore said. “We thought if we could do something to make it even more accessible, then we should do whatever we can.”
Approximately a month ago, Moore first brought up the project to the city council. Members thought it was a worthwhile project, though they haven’t formally pledged money to support it.
“I think this project is a great idea. This number of pickleball players today certainly outnumbers the number of courts available so providing extra hours to play will allow more court time,” Todd Shuck, council member, said via email. “I believe this project will have a positive effect on the Franklin community because it will add more court time. As the days shorten, this will allow more time to play in the fall and spring.”
The Youngs Creek Park pickleball courts were installed in 2022 and are routinely full throughout the day starting at 8 a.m.
According to Payne, the goal of the council is to fully understand the process of implementing a municipal project and “the journey and impact of each step along the way.” Going forward, the youth council aims to focus on large projects that the city needs or residents highly demand.
“It’s about seeing the bigger picture and realizing how our efforts today shape the community of tomorrow. Empowering kids to lead city projects fosters a sense of responsibility and innovation and ensures fresh perspectives on community development,” Payne said. “Their involvement transforms community spaces into vibrant, dynamic environments that reflect the diverse voices of tomorrow’s leaders.”
For Moore, she said she is most looking forward to seeing the end product alongside her peers.
“I think I’m most excited that all the members of our council can participate and get to see the actual reward at the end of the project, seeing the lights on the court,” she said.
The next steps include looking for grants and speaking with local business owners to get donations. The group is working on the timeline for the project and hopes to finish it by the end of the school year.
Registration for the pickleball fundraiser closes at 3 p.m. today. To enter, register at shorturl.at/AGV2V.
