By Gary Lloyd

TRUSSVILLE – In the wake of last week’s decision to pull the pickleball courts project from the greenspace on Cherokee Drive, the Trussville City Council on Tuesday, June 28 discussed potential locations at its workshop meeting.

[RELATED: Pickleball in Trussville: ‘The heartburn is the greenspace’]

Councilman Perry Cook attended a Parks & Recreation Board meeting last week, where he learned that everybody wants pickleball courts, just in a different location.

“The location seemed to be the main pushback and also the size of the space for the courts,” Cook said. “We need more space, if possible.”

He said he was open to suggestions for locations, even going so far as to wonder aloud if a committee should be formed to search out potential properties. Some potential locations mentioned on Tuesday night included:

• Another location on Cherokee Drive near the Trussville Fire & Rescue Administration Building
• The Pinnacle shopping center
• Areas around the former Hewitt-Trussville Junior High School gyms
• Behind the softball fields at the Trussville Sports Complex

All locations mentioned come with clear issues – location, parking, space, excavation, cost. The search will continue.

[PODCAST: Trussville pickleball discussion on Apple Podcasts here and Spotify here]

Mayor Buddy Choat said the 12 courts that were proposed on the Cherokee Drive greenspace location, eight covered and four uncovered, were what Trussville needed. Future expansion of the pickleball facility was not in the plans.

“The site was selected strictly on 12 courts,” Choat said.

Councilman Alan Taylor said it was unfortunate that pushback against Choat happened the way it did. The Trussville City Council on June 14 approved Milam and Company constructing the 12 pickleball courts on the greenspace.

“That’s not right,” he said. “Every person sitting up here was a part of it.”

Councilwoman Jaime Anderson said she heard concerns about potential impact to the nearby Cahaba River and parking at Cahaba Elementary School.

“That location had a lot of issues I didn’t think about that I wish I had,” she said.

There are large pickleball facilities across Alabama. Two mentioned were Hoover and Opelika. Taylor said pickleball facilities that big is not something Trussville needs.

“That doesn’t fit our community,” he said.

Councilman Ben Short said he trusts Choat to go through the process of finding a suitable location.

“Everything is on the table,” Choat said.