NATCHEZ, Miss. – City aldermen clashed again Tuesday over the pickleball controversy as they voted 4-2 against the popular racket sport being played at Duncan Park’s tennis courts. However, they did agree to pursue a plan for pickleball courts being built near the Natchez-Adams County swimming pool at Liberty Park.
The Board of Aldermen voted to solicit cost proposals for resurfacing courts at the city-owned Duncan Park and North Natchez Park exclusively for tennis. As proposed by Alderman Valencia Hall, they could not be lined for pickleball — as some tennis courts are now at Duncan Park on a makeshift basis.
However, the board voted 4-2 against Alderman Sarah Carter Smith’s motion to let two current Duncan Park tennis courts be divided up solely for pickleball.
As an alternative, Hall persuaded aldermen to initiate future discussions with Adams County supervisors to jointly build a city-county pickleball facility near the Natchez-Adams County Aquatic Center and soccer fields. They’re at the county-owned Liberty Park.
Tuesday’s action came after aldermen voted 4-2 last month against Mayor Dan Gibson’s plan to convert three Duncan Park tennis courts into 10 pickleball courts. The controversy prompted Gibson to conduct a May 18 public hearing that packed the City Council Chambers and displayed differing, strongly held opinions about whether pickleball should supplant three of the 10 tennis courts at Duncan Park.
Hall has been the most outspoken board member against the Duncan Park pickleball proposition. She says splitting up Duncan Park tennis courts into the smaller pickleball courts would be at the expense of a sport that tennis buffs say needs the existing 10 tennis courts for tournaments.
However, Gibson has said the growing popularity of pickleball justifies the need to develop courts exclusively dedicated to this avocation at the city’s main recreational park. Pickleballers have been using Duncan Park tennis courts marked up and netted on a makeshift basis for their smaller playing space.
The Board of Aldermen in April rejected the pickleball plan that was tied to resurfacing Duncan Park tennis courts at a cost of $31,500 – with half to be funded by private dollars from pickleball players. The proposal also called for resurfacing North Natchez Park’s two tennis courts for $10,600.
Smith, who’s White, expressed frustrations Tuesday that the six-member board was divided along racial lines: four Black aldermen against the pickleball plan and the two White members for.
“This thing somehow has become racial…. I don’t understand why. It’s very sad,” said Smith, implying opposition to the Duncan Park pickleball proposal seems to be because it’s popular with Whites. “It feels racial. It feels that way to a lot of people.”
However, “This is not a racial thing at all,” said Alderman Billie Joe Frazier, who’s Black. He maintained Smith’s comments are “a slap in the face” of the city’s Black community.
Gibson said last week he would continue pursuing a compromise in the tennis-versus-pickleball controversy. “I’m not giving up on a solution that satisfies both sports and further unites Natchez,” the mayor said.
Acknowledging the racial friction at Tuesday’s meeting, Gibson – who’s White — said he and all six aldermen are united in “working together for a better Natchez.”
“We’re all part of the same city and members of the same race – the human race,” he said.
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