The McCluskey Tennis Center may be looking at a serious facelift in the near future, after the Troup County Board of Commissioners voted to accept a grant from the Callaway Foundation for renovations.

The Troup County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to accept the grant and allow naming rights to the Callaway Foundation, who is funding the majority of the improvements. The tennis center will receive $150,000 in funding from SPLOST V. However, refinishing the asphalt courts alone will cost an estimated $550,000. The Chattahoochee Valley Tennis Association (CHATA) and the recreation department requested a grant for $575,000 from the Callaway Foundation. Additionally, they committed to raising $100,000 from private donors.

“For a total of $825,000 [for the] project, that would help us not only rip out and resurface the six asphalt hard courts, but it would help us upgrade the lighting to LED lighting on the six courts,” said Cajen Rhodes, the director of Troup County Parks and Recreation. “Then, there are still two clay courts that currently have old lighting, so we would upgrade those lights as well. So, all the lights throughout the complex would match each other.”

According to Rhodes, the courts are in desperate need of attention.

“We had originally identified a need with the other six asphalt courts [at McCluskey Tennis Center],” Rhodes said.

“We have overlaid them over the years, and now they are starting to crack fairly severely. It is time to really address them.”

The grant came with a condition that the Callaway Foundation will have naming rights for the tennis center, and the stipulation was unanimously approved by the Recreation Advisory Board. The approval will need to go before the City of LaGrange before it is official.

“As part of the grant, we’ll have to vote … to accept permission to cut the grant with the stipulation that they have the naming rights for the tennis building,” County Manager Tod Tentler said.

In addition to the courts themselves, the lighting and facilities at the center will also receive major renovations.

“On top of that, we would also renovate what we consider the pro shop, right now,” Rhodes said. “Basically, from the inside of that pro shop, you can only see the upper six courts. You really don’t have a 360-degree vision of the entire facility, which essentially is why we use the main parking lot between the tennis center and the Granger Park playground. Now, there is a master plan out here that shows the main parking down off of Hunnicutt in front of the tennis center, so that will be in line with that Granger Park master plan where we will basically be able to facilitate people parking down low, and then there is a main entrance looking up toward Hunnicutt (Place).”

The Troup County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to meet again on March 20 at 9 a.m. at 100 Ridley Avenue.