Troup County is preparing to move forward on the first part of renovations to the McCluskey Tennis Center. 

The Troup County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to approve the agreement that will allow Principle Williams Construction to begin work on the pro shop portion of renovations.

“This is just one piece of two parts of this project,” said Cajen Rhodes, the director of Troup County Parks and Recreation. “Today, what we are bringing for you is a contract of $857,353. This is just for the renovation of the pro-shop of the building.”

Commissioner Lewis Davis asked where the money for this portion of the project will come from, since the county’s portion of the funding is supposed to come from Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax V, which will start in January 2019. County Manager Tod Tentler said that the funding for the first portion should come from the Callaway Foundation part of the funding. The board of commissioners accepted a grant from the Callaway Foundation for renovations in March.

“The total project dollar amount for this is $1.26 million,” Rhodes said. “We are going to have $255,000 from SPLOST, $150,000 from private [funds] and $855,000 from the Callaway Foundation.”

Rhodes said that they want to get the project going, and the pro shop renovations are just the first step.

“What we are trying to do is get this portion of the project off the ground and running,” Rhodes said. “Once we get this part of the project off the ground and running, we are going to bring part two of the project which is six asphalt hard court renovations and the lighting upgrades we have. There are already bids in place for that.”

One of the focuses of the Troup County Board of Commissioners throughout discussions on the tennis court renovations has been how often the facility is used by the community, and the crowds at the court over the weekend were briefly mentioned.

“When I ride down North Greenwood, that is one busy place, and there are always large crowds around that tennis complex,” Crews said.

The McCluskey Tennis Center hosted the USTA tri-level state tournament on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. A variety of teams, including the Chattahoochee Valley Tennis Association, competed, and Rhodes estimated that 655 athletes attended the event. 

The Troup County Board of Commissioners will meet again on Tuesday, Aug. 21 at 9 a.m. at 100 Ridley Avenue.